


DBH Oneshots (Mostly Angst)

by Blue_Chrome



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Whump, Connor Deserves Happiness, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Hurt Connor (Detroit: Become Human), M/M, Oneshot, Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Whump, everyone is probably ooc so... sorry about that, rest in peace connor for this will mostly be me torturing you apparently, there will be some wholesome stuff dont worry!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:47:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23837818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Chrome/pseuds/Blue_Chrome
Summary: This is a bunch of oneshots I have written about Detroit: Become Human that will mostly be filled with Connor getting the short end of the stick. There is most likely going to be RK1K in this fanfic as I personally like the ship.(This has been cross-posted by me on Wattpad)
Relationships: Connor & North (Detroit: Become Human), Connor & Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Connor/Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Hank Anderson & Connor
Comments: 4
Kudos: 109





	1. Stabbed

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: blood/gore (that's to be expected tbh) and cursing
> 
> This one has Rk1000 in it.
> 
> Connor and Hank are investigating a crime scene of what they think is an anti-android hate crime but Connor gets hurt bad and his boyfriend Robojesus helps him along with dad Hank.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: blood/gore (that's to be expected tbh) and cursing
> 
> This one has Rk1000 in it.
> 
> Connor and Hank are investigating a crime scene of what they think is an anti-android hate crime but Connor gets hurt bad and his boyfriend Robojesus helps him along with dad Hank.

Hank was busy focusing on his work, filling out, filing, or receiving paperwork from his past case with Connor. After the android revolution, the two were given more cases and not just limited to deviants and the occasional shooting where reinforcements were needed. Well, now Connor couldn't join those as deviants, regardless of their employment, weren't allowed firearms until they passed the law in a few months. Which, was incredibly stupid to Hank as androids are safer wielding firearms in comparison to humans. Not only that but Connor needs a gun to protect himself in his line of work from crazy people like the politicians that are taking forever to pass the fucking law! The damn politicians were the reason Connor almost fucking died on their last mission!

Hank turned to watch in horror as Connor slowly fell to the floor following a short yet loud gunshot. Hank favouring to comfort his android son ignored the opportunity to shoot the aggressor and sprinted over to the man who was steadily bleeding out. Hank had pressed his hands against the wound as hard as he could but it seemed like no matter how hard he tried the blue blood would just slip out as if nothing was blocking the gaping hole on his son's side.  
"H-Hank... I'm scared... I...I don't want to die," Connor cried as tears slipped down his face. Watching his face with so much distraught and pain on was just so, so wrong. The sound of his sobs made the other gunshots white noise in the background. It wasn't until arms started to pull him away did he realise other people were here.  
"Get off of me! I need to help Connor!" Hank shouted as he pushed the arms off his shoulders. He watched as two technicians surrounded the weeping android and began to wrap something over the wound before lifting him onto a gurney with ease. Hank wanted nothing more than to follow them but his legs just wouldn't work. He looked down st his hands and saw blue blood flash to crimson red blood as an image of Cole's lifeless body laid in front him.

Hank shook his head, clearing it of the horrid memory. He didn't want to think about that. He had to protect Connor now and there was nothing he could do to save Cole back then. Speaking of his android partner, Hank glanced up to see Connor's LED, which he refuses to remove despite most androids removing theirs, cycling a faint yellow with him blinking rapidly before it cycles back to blue. "What was that about?" Hank asked and let out a laugh as Connor jumped in his seat, obviously unaware of Hank's presence.  
"I received a case about a man allegedly being seen taking an android and then the witness heard screaming... but the witness said they couldn't identify which of them was screaming and was afraid to go in and check," Connor relayed and watched as Hank stood from his desk, his knees and back cracking quietly. He stretched a little before walking away from his desk towards the door. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.  
"So, where is this- Connor?" Hank turned to his side to see the normally lively and chattering android missing from his side, which he rarely left. Not that Hank minds, in fact, he likes it... it reminds him of Cole. Hank shook his head and turned around to see Connor still sitting at his desk. His head was tilted slightly in confusion with his LED cycling yellow again.  
"Well, don't just sit there! C'mon, we got a crime to solve!" Hank shouted and he watched as the lanky man scrambled about, almost tripping over his feet several times, before running over to him. His normally perfect hair had a few stray curls poking up from his little game of twister he just had. "You're a crack up, Connor," Hank laughed as he ruffled the synthetic hairs, letting the loose curls spring up and make a mess of his hair.  
"I do not understand what you mean Hank. I am not cracking," Connor spoke with his head tilted to the side.  
"Connor, shut up," Hank smiled softly at the young android. Connor smiled at him before Hank ruffled his hair more aggressively making Connor let out a noise of irritation and swatting at Hank's hand before it could make a bigger mess of his hair.  
"Hank, stop I need to look professional!" Connor squawked loudly as he tried to flatten his hair back down but the curls just sprung back up. The sound of Hank laughing filled the air with Connor soon following with his own.

The car ride to the location of the crime has been rather uneventful and quiet. The only noise besides the usual honks of horns, squealing of tires, and cursing from angry drivers who were late or tired, was the quiet processing noise as Connor slowly got more info from the other cops on the scene. With his eyes closed, he almost looked asleep if it wasn't for the fact he was sitting up straight.  
"Y'know your laugh is kinda weird," Hank spoke suddenly and it startled Connor a bit as he opened his eyes to glance at the human.  
"My laugh? My laugh sounds similar to those humans make, does it not?" Connor tilted his head to the side in confusion.  
"Well... kinda. Like your laugh went from little chuckles to loud outbursts of laughter that cause your voice to become staticky. Then you'll usually snort really loud as well if you think it's really funny like the time Gavin fell over and spilled coffee on himself in front of you," Hank glanced over at the android who had a contemplative look on his face before letting out a little laugh at the memory.  
"I-I guess that I have grown more confident over the couple of months that I have been with you... I believe that's the reason why. You've made me feel as if I can truly express myself and not have to dial it down..." Connor admitted with a small smile.  
"Aww jeez..." Hank looked away with a goofy grin on his face. Connor smiled brightly and closed his eyes continuing to analyse his case.

Getting out of the car Connor watched as Chris put up police tape to keep pedestrians from getting close to the possible murder scene. Honestly, it's one of the first times Connor's seen the actual tape and not the holograms, he can only guess they didn't want to waste time getting it and used the old method. He walked towards him until a less experience rookie stopped him. "I'm sorry sir but we can't- wait a second... oh sorry you're the android detective," Connor gave a nod and smile before walking under the tape with Hank behind him. He could hear the sound of disapproval Hank made at the rookie but he brushed it off as Hank being... well Hank. Connor looked around scanning all around the area, well as far as he could see which meant the alley was unknown to him before he noticed a blue puddle on the ground. He walked forwards a few steps before he knelt. He swipes his fingers through the puddle, he looked at it closely before opening his mouth.  
"Hey, Connor- OH WHAT THE FUCK?!" Chris screeched as the android detective began to analyse the blood.  
"Yeah... don't worry about that... he's basically a walking forensic lab, just a lot grosser," Hank explained and watched as Chris just shuddered in response.  
"The thirium belongs to a KT600 model, a newer android made specifically for therapy and psychiatry... the only notable difference is the fact that this model is quite old technologically in comparison to the other androids made around the same time,"  
Connor wiped the remains of the blood on his pants before standing and turning to face his partner and colleague. Connor turned a little and saw the blue blood leading into the alley, he felt his thirium pump freeze at the realisation of what possibly happened to them.

Hank opened his mouth before a static-filled scream pierced the air and made them all freeze. Connor being the reckless idiot he is, raced into the alley with Hank barely following behind him. They had to round a few corners before they came across a very gruesome sight. The poor android has been slashed down the centre of his chest and his left air had been ripped off, there were several signs of struggle around the area. Connor did a quick scan of the area before he made a hand motion to Hank, he pointed at the android then himself, he then pointed at Hank and made a finger gun and aimed it while turning around. Honestly, the whole action was pretty cute to Hank but he gave a nod and pulled his revolver out of its holster with the safety off. If it was any other situation he probably would've told Connor how child-like he acts without being aware of it. Connor crouched down a little before he slowly and cautiously made his way over to the KT600.

"Hello, my name is Connor... are you awake?" Connor whispered as he crouched down near the android's head. He watched as the android's eyes flicked up at him before tears filled them. The android was biting their lip in an obvious attempt to muffle and sound of pain. "Can you tell me your name?" Connor asked quietly.  
"J-J-a-Jack," all quiet static came out before it cleared slightly.  
"Connor watch out!" Hank screamed as loud footsteps grew closer suddenly and then several gunshots rang throughout the air as Connor whipped around to see what the commotion was about. He watched with horror as a lifeless body fell to the ground, a large blade making deafening clinking noises as it bounced across the pavement. A puddle of crimson grew around the corpse fell beside him. The android was frozen in shock as he stared at the now lifeless body of a man that attempted to stab him and the already hurt android still laying in his arms. "You alright?" Hank asked as he knelt next to Connor, who blinked a few times with his LED cycling yellow before it cycled back to blue. The deviant android nodded silently before he eventually managed to gather himself together to help the wounded android to his feet. He wrapped the androids arm around his shoulder and helped him hop along, leaving the deceased human behind.

"Y'know for being the latest android made by cyberlife, you sure are dumb," Jack whispered. Connor froze and turned to look at his face. The torn synthetic skin only made the evil grin on his face more terrifying and evil.  
"Wha-" Connor began speaking before he felt a sharp pain in his left side that travelled upwards with the knife. He immediately turned and pushed the android off of him as the knife was torn upwards more and out of his body. He stumbled backward into a wall and slid down it to the floor. A large cut ran from his hip up to where a human's fifth rib would be located. It managed to cut several wires and unfortunately tore through a thin tube that sent thirium to his thirium pump regulator. Connor let out a pained cry and felt thirium bubble up his throat. He coughed violently as it started to clog up his throat, which he may not need to breathe it was very stressful to suddenly have the ability to breathe torn away from him so quickly. The young detective felt it slip out his mouth and down his chin. He pressed against the open wound on his torso with both hands desperately trying to keep anymore thirium from leaking out of his body. He glanced up to see the android in front of him with an evil smirk on his face.  
"What's wrong? Did the great Deviant Hunter get hurt a little?" Jack laughed with a dark glare. The static in his voice all gone and now his tone held much more malice in it. Connor coughed up more thirium and stumbled around to try and stand up before he collapsed back to his knees. A foot hit his back and he fell onto his front and smacked his face very roughly onto the cement. His nose connected with the ground too hard and he felt more thirium gush out of his nose and his mouth. Connor and wanted nothing more than to just curl up into a ball and cry away the pain, however, it seemed his tormentor didn't like that idea as he kept slamming his foot down o to the already beaten detective. Normally Connor would've been one to put up a fight but the loss of thirium and the paralysing pain made any sort of movement an absolute nightmare. Every twitch even if it's only a nanometer sent a burning pain throughout his biocomponents and wires. Every program and every single sensor, lense, or data collector screamed in pain. Another sharp kick to his face caused sobs to escape his already trembling frame, making his body shake more and more with every single son and cry torn from his voice modulator. The optical unit fluid was freely travelling down his face like tears on a human.

A loud gunshot made Connor jump even in his hazy and delirious state. "Fuckin hell, Connor?! Connor, stay awake!" Hank shouted as he suddenly appeared in front of Connor with the android falling to the ground behind him. Connor slowly managed to push himself up, with Hank's help, of course, to sit with himself up whilst leaning heavily against his father figure. A hand ran through his hair making the few leftover tamed curls bounce up.  
"H-H-Hank it h-h-urt-s," Connor spoke with static breaking up each word as he focused most of his energy on his self-repair system instead of speaking. Hank cursed and started shouting, much to Connor's dismay, and signalling for somebody to come over. Connor removed all power from his audio processors so he could only use the basic understanding he had of lip movements and hand gestures. Realistically he knows he should've kept one functioning but he's in so much pain he can't think anymore. Not only that but the slightest noise made him want to tear his audio processors out altogether. The thought of it made him both uneasy in his "stomach" region and unusually peaceful as if tearing them out would make his programming cause his expulsion program to startup and come online whilst also making him feel euphoric and... happy at the silence.

A smooth hand rubbed his cheek before he felt himself being lifted. The pain he felt caused himself to let a wince slip past his normally calm demeanour and he didn't have to hear the person, most definitely Hank, to know he was apologising. Connor slowly opened his eyes not even realising he'd closed them to see Hank behind him running while he was cradled close to somebody's chest with his head propped up on their shoulder. He moved his head to rest closer to their chest so he could get a clear view of their face. Connor was surprised to see Markus since he was supposed to best Jericho which was approximately fifteen minutes away from where they were and that was in a vehicle. On feet, it must've been almost three times longer. Connor also felt shocked at Markus' arrival since he could've sworn that he never saw anybody contact Markus let alone see him coming. All this thinking and theorising made his headache in a way it's never ached before. He figured he should turn on his audio processors since Markus would ask him questions in a bit. Sighing heavily Connor turned them on begrudgingly. The sounds made his headache hurt even more than before but Connor favoured closing his eyes and relaxing against him in comparison to trying to stay awake and suffer the burning agony coming from his torso and ears. He could hear the shouting of his name and several sirens screaming around him but he just couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. Did he break something in his eyelids for them to feel this way? For once in his short lifespan, he doesn't seem to care about getting an answer to this question. With that final thought, he closed his eyes fully and enters stasis.

...

Rebooting Connor:  
-Model Type: Rk800  
-Serial Number: #313 248 317 - 52

...

Report Reboot to Cyberlife?

[Y/N]

...

[N]

...

Report Not Filed to Cyberlife

...

Reboot: Successfully 

...

Connor slowly forced his eyelids to open as he glanced around at his surroundings. The familiar sight of his bedroom at Jericho greeted him. His audio processors slowly booted up and let sounds fade into them as he sat up in his bed. Connor looked around scanning and analysing everything he could see whilst not straining his slowly booting up systems. The sound of snoring was the first thing his processors picked up. Turning around he saw Hank sleeping in an armchair and beside him on the bed was Markus, also passed out on the bed. Connor looked down to see himself shirtless and the area where he expected to see a slowly closing wound completely clear. He pressed down and saw nothing abnormal happened. Letting out a satisfied hum he turned to glance over st his father figure again. He had darker bags under his eyes and a concerned expression engraved into his face.

"He's been here for five days now... only leaving to get Sumo and bring him here," a voice spoke softly behind him. Connor turned around to see Markus sitting up as well now. The younger android looked around to see Sumo resting on the bed beside him. Why didn't he notice that? Surely his systems should've alerted him to Sumo's presence. "Your systems will probably take longer to boot up and register everything since we put you into a forced stasis while you healed," Markus explained as Connor made a sound of understanding before letting the dog. Connor laid down again and closed his eyes as a wave of exhaustion rushed over him. "You should rest. Your systems need a bit to fully reset," Markus whispered and Connor nodded slowly, closing his eyes. He felt Markus pull him close to his chest and start to brush his hair with his fingers. He smiled and moved closer to his body whilst also trying to push back into Markus' hand.  
"Wait... does this mean the human Hank shot was innocent?"


	2. Bloody Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor dealing with the trauma of before he became deviant. IDK this was a pretty bad description I don't know how to describe this other than a mental breakdown?
> 
> Rk1000 yaaas
> 
> Warning: Blood/Gore + cursing

No matter how many times, how hard he tried, he could never remove the blood from his hands. The blood of those he shouldn't have hurt wouldn't leave him alone. To be honey he deserves. He deserves to be reminded of the most he used... no is. It's a constant reminder that he doesn't deserve what he has and that they should be here not him. He didn't hurt many androids but... those he did... Daniel... Simon. RA9 Simon was the worst one of the two. He was Markus' best friend and he killed him. He was the reason Simon shot himself...

Connor was stood staring into a mirror in the room he and Markus shared in New Jericho. Connor pressed a hand to his LED where it spun red before he glared at its reflection. He wanted nothing more than to tear it out so he could properly hide everything he was bottling up but then everyone would know something was wrong with him. They'd go digging and... and they'd find out he killed them... they'd see the blue blood that stained his pale and freckles hands. They'd see all the bodies of those he's killed around him. They'd all hate him... disown him. Hank would push him away and call him a fucking monster and say how much he hated him. North and Josh they'd want nothing more than to dish out what he deserves... and he wishes that they would. Markus... Markus, the love of his life, would never forgive him. Markus would hate him... he would leave Connor all alone and pray that he'd have justice dealt with him.

A sob broke out of his throat as the thoughts grew louder and louder, each scenario worse than the last. Connor wanted nothing more than to slam his hand into his reflection but that's causing too much noise... everybody would gather... Connor shook his head to try and clear the thoughts and wiped aggressively at his face to no luck as the sobs and tears grew more violent. He eventually collapsed to his knees and just focused on try to calm his breathing and to stop the violent tremors wracking his body. Every single son that left his mouth cause a new tremble which caused another tear which would then continue the cycle of his sadness. He could feel what was left of his mental state deteriorating quickly as he struggled to gather himself together. He just couldn't do it. Every time he got close to being calm another thought would appear or the sight of their body would submerge from the back of his memory and make the whole cycle start again. This was one of the worst things he's ever gone through and he wanted nothing more than for it to stop.

The sound of the door opening slowly and quietly made Connor's head whip around and his body jerked back into the mirror, cracking it slightly but not shattering it. When Markus started slowly walking towards him, he forced himself to stand and tried to back up but the mirror blocked him. "Connor? Connor just take a deep breath. It's me, Markus, don't panic," Connor tried to listen to him, he honestly did, but all that entered his mouth was a short intake of air before another sob tore its way out of his throat. With Markus getting closer and still talking about things Connor didn't understand, because for once in his life he wasn't listening, he knew there was only one way of getting out a situation where he'd have to face his thoughts. Run.

Run...

Run

Run!

His programming was screaming at him to run away as far and as fast as he could. He had to listen. Connor bolted forward shocking Markus who barley managed to grab his wrist. The younger android flinched when he heard the gasp from Markus as he let go of his wrist out of shock. The pained expression on his face made Connor's thirium pump stutter and falt before freezing altogether. His eyes widened in horror, "Connor, wait!" Connor used this moment as his opportunity and sprinted out of the doorway, which Markus had forgotten to close. His optical units were getting blurry as their cleaning fluids fell down his face in large droplets... similar to tears in a way. He felt his fans working overtime to try and keep his core temperature from rising too high, making it sound like he was hyperventilating. Connor only wished that he hadn't gotten one of his fans slightly damaged in a case with Hank. Normally this wasn't too big of a deal as he had high strength fans, that even only having one worked perfectly fine, but at this moment he needed two perfectly functioning fans to help with the onslaught of overworking biocomponents.

Connor felt himself smack into somebody and he felt them fall forwards slightly but not completely toppling over. "Who the fuck- Connor?!" A rough voice that started angry become soft almost instantly as they turned around. RA9 they couldn't have been a worse person to run into. The very familiar face of his father figure except instead of the grumpy look his face had nothing but concern. Connor realised he probably looked like a mess and wiped harshly st his eyes, feeling the stinging pain of the force he used on his face and the amount he had cried. "Connor, what's wrong, son?" Hank asked and reached out to touch his shoulder but Connor only cowered back, shaking.   
"No... I- I didn't... He wasn't supposed to..." Connor's getting confused between thinking and speaking and now he wished he had just turned off his voice modulator so Hank wouldn't know anything... wouldn't have to worry about anything... wouldn't have to deal with the pain of finding out somebody he called his son was a monster.   
"Connor, Jesus kid... who wasn't supposed to do what?" Hank slowly walked forwards but it didn't make much progress as Connor backed up each time.

Unaware of his surroundings he bumped into another person, who seemed less dazed by their contact and instead pulled him into a one-armed hug. "Connor, you goofball what are doing?! You're bumping into everyone now!" A familiar feminine voice shouted and he pulled at her arm to try and escape her hold to no avail. She pulled harder which made him get closer, "now what have you been- oh... are you alright?" North's face went from joy to horror almost instantly once she had opened her eyes.  
"I'm fine! Just let me go!" Connor cried and tried to pull himself out of her grip once more but footsteps got his attention as he saw Hank walking quickly to him. Rushed footsteps made his neck snap in the other direction to see Markus appear from around the corner. Out of desperation Connor practically threw North from his side onto Hank, who didn't manage to stay standing this time and they both toppled over. Connor whipped his head to see Markus freeze when they made eye contact.   
"Connor, what happened isn't your fault. Nobody blames you for what happened to Daniel or Simon..." Markus spoke slowly and softly. Connor felt his thirium freeze in his body and he felt as if his body wasn't under his control.   
"What? Markus, what are you talking about? Of course, Connor isn't responsible for Simon's death," North spoke from behind him and he heard Hank groan in pain before managing to stand as well.   
"I don't know who this Daniel person is but if you "killed" him then he probably fuckin' deserved it," Hank grumbled and put emphasis on the word kill to prove that he seriously doubted Connor has killed anyone.  
"See, nobody blames you for their death... you don't need to live in guilt for the rest of your life because of their passing," Markus managed to get about two metres away from Connor before he froze when the detective glared at him.  
"You don't understand! I was there when they died! They died because I did something that caused them to either die or kill themself! Th-Their blood is stained on my hands! I-I-"  
Connor stopped talking as he saw Markus hold a hand out towards him.  
"Connor, Simon's death is as much our fault as it is yours. We shouldn't have left him there alone. I shouldn't have given him a gun. You were merely doing what your programming was telling you to do and even then you weren't trying to kill him. In fact, you tried to stop the police from shooting him!" Markus shouted and Connor winced at the memory and forced himself to glance st the floor. The floor was nice. The floor didn't judge him. The floor couldn't hurt him. The floor could lead him somewhere safe if he followed it and continued looking down.

"Wait... Connor, do you mean that deviant on the rooftop? Is that the Daniel you're fuckin concerned about?" Hank spoke with genuine confusion and once again all of his processors stopped functioning for a split second out of fear. Connor didn't respond and he heard Hank make a groan, "Connor what happened that day wasn't your fault. He was threatening to kill a little girl! In the end, it would've ended up being her, him, or you," Hank grumbled and he felt a feeling of numbness wash over him. He looked up and looked straight into Hank's as he saw Markus and North move in his peripheral vision.

Connor let out a breath he didn't know he was holding back, "I wish it had been me then," his nonchalant stare didn't change as he watched shock appear of their faces. For once in his short life, he felt nothing at their pained expressions. Even as he was first created the sight of a distressed human, Android, animal, anything's really, made him feel distressed; which did validate Amanda's point that he was always a deviant that believed he was a machine. Right now though he wished he'd never been made this way and had either been discontinued or made as a machine with a 0% chance of him deviating, although he knew that statistically speaking that was impossible.

"Connor, you better take that back right now! I don't want to hear you say that ever again!" Hank shouted and pointed an accusing finger at the android. Connor winced at the shout and closed his eyes to try and avoid their judgemental stares. He turned around and tried to prepare himself for the loud noises to come back.  
"Connor," the softness of the voice made him flinch. They sounded so upset and heartbroken... but why? He was a monster. That's all they've ever told him... all he is anymore... nothing more and nothing less. He's the worst of the worst. The lowest of the low. The- "Connor, I know what your thinking right now but none of us blame you for what happened. They weren't your fault you were following your programming much as I had, North had, Josh had, and even Simon had before we deviated," Markus' voice had so much care and concern pouring out through every single word and yet... Connor still couldn't believe him. "We love you Connor and no matter how bad you think you are we will always be here to remind you of how amazing you are. You saved us all. You risked your life infiltrating Cyberlife just to make sure the revolution went smoothly. No monster would do anything like that." Connor's eyes widened. How did he? Did he think that? Did he think Connor was a monster?!   
"Connor, you're more human than any other android I've met, no offence, so I don't know why anybody thinks you're a monster... but I do know that no of us think you are one," North's normally loud and confident voice sounded so hurt and melancholic.

That's when it happened.

...

He just broke down.

Connor turned around so hard he stumbled a bit before he saw how close everyone had gotten when he turned his back on them. They were barely two or three steps away from him. Then again he was only estimating as his vision blurred from the waterfall of tears that poured out of his eyes. This normally would've been a cause for concern based upon the amount of liquid leaving them but he didn't care at the moment, he just really wanted a hug from his family. And a hug he got. Practically running forwards into Hank and hugging him as loud, staticky sobs tore out of his throat. He quickly found arms wrapping around his back before several more joined in and its just a large amalgamation of bodies trying to hug the android detective.  
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything!" Connor cried and he felt somebody's... actually two pairs of arms tighten up slightly at his apology before a rough-ish hand ran through his hair.   
"There's nothing to apologise for... we're here for you. Things will get better eventually," A soft voice that normally he'd be able to connect with a face but everything currently feels like a big mess of... well, everything!

Connor knows that he'll never stop seeing the blood on his hands or the terrified expression of every android he's hurt. But with his family and friends ready to help him and willing to offer a hand... he feels like he'd be able to manage it all a bit more.


	3. "No, stop!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anti-android people beat the shit out of Connor.

Connor liked to believe that after the peaceful android revolution had gone as well as it could that humans would be more accepting of androids as a co-existing species, like dogs but they're not kept as companions and can roam around freely... so not really like dogs. Despite this Connor still believed that humans had mostly accepted them all. I mean if Connor had been accepted into Jericho with open arms, despite his past, then why couldn't humans do the same for them or at least to the innocent androids.

Markus had recently given a very motivating and uplifting speech about android rights and that managed to win most, if not all, of the crowd. However, Connor had managed to notice a few shady people at the back leaving when he had been watching his boyfriend give his speech. Connor couldn't be more proud of his partner but seeing those people look at them like that... it sent shivers to the deepest wires inside of him. He was... scared. Scared that those people might do something to hurt the one he loves and holds close. Then again maybe the stares were directed at him? He was the deviant hunter and some people and androids haven't forgotten or forgiven yet. Which, made his late-night walk a really bad idea. In Connor's defence, he usually does this with Sumo but Sumo's very tired and Connor doesn't like breaking his workout routine, even if he doesn't need to work out to stay fit or healthy. That and Connor needed some time to think and collect his thoughts. His most recent case with Hank had been very troubling as it was about anti-android groups that began stalking and sometimes even murdering innocent androids at night. Which just made him look even stupider right now.

Connor let out a sigh and watched as a white puff left his mouth. The cold winter weather usually didn't affect him but as he deviated it's become more apparent that he cannot withstand the cold very well. He loves the snow and rain but it just doesn't deal well with his biocomponents. He stopped to take a deep breath and try and help his body ease it's processing but it seemed to only agitate the sensitive processors more. Connor stuffed his gloved hands into the thick coat and buried his face into his scarf to try and help his core temperature rise. Thankfully the fact it's snowing meant Connor's stress levels didn't increase drastically at the cold temperature. The snow is very calming and makes Connor feel happy and warm inside his chest, which at first he thought he was malfunctioning and spent a half an hour trying to diagnose the problem before spending the other half of the hour crying in Hank's arms thinking he was going to shutdown. That wasn't his favourite and proudest moment.

Snowstorms always brought back bad memories he'd rather keep stashed away, seeing light snowfall was nice and makes Connor look forward to winter in Detroit even if it means reliving his nightmares.

"Hey!" A random voice shouted and had Connor turning around. A rather bulky, tall man with tan skin started walking towards him. His black hair was surprisingly neat along with his very formal clothing of a suit and tie. The man would've come off as a naturally more assertive and kinda aggressive man if it wasn't for his dark brown eyes that burned with rage and his body language that indicated his want to hit something... or someone. He had his hands clenched in fists, gritting teeth, shoulders hunched upwards, wrinkles and creases on his face from it being scrunched up in fury, and his eyebrows were furrowed. Connor gulped nervously and he started to search for his coin to fidget with before he realised Hank still had it. Now normally in a situation like this Connor would run away but the man could just be angry because he's frustrated that he got lost and wanted to ask for directions. Connor ran a scan and saw several thousand scenarios but the chance of the man being angry at him and attacking him was the highest at 56%. Connor didn't like that high of a possibility.

"Hello sir, are you lost?" Connor asked nervously as the man was now in front of him, the same furious expression present on his face.  
"No, I'm not you fucking asshole!" He screamed and Connor rose a single eyebrow and his smile dropped with his hands raising a bit while giving the man a 'are you fucking serious' face. "Listen here and listen good!" He grabbed Connor's scarf and pulled him closer to his face, "I fuckin' hate androids and I don't wanna see another one of you fucking job-stealing fuck-faces here ever again!" Ah, so the man must've just lost his job to an android that could complete his job a lot better. Connor bit back a little laugh since it was obvious that this man must've been bad at his job since you aren't legally allowed to just replace human employees with androids because you want to or because of the idea that since they're android they must be better, although that still happens to this day.  
"I'm sorry sir but I don't see how you losing your job is my fault. But if my presence caused a distur-" Connor began apologising, although he didn't mean it in the slightest, when the man punched him right in the nose. Connor let out a cry and fell backwards onto his ass and began to clutch at his probably broken nose, trying desperately to keep the thirium from leaking out. HUD warnings began to appear about the damage sustained but he paid it no mind as he quickly stood up and started to run away. Getting into unnecessary physical situations weren't good for his stress levels, which were already increasing drastically, with his reputation. With him and Markus dating people did expect Connor to be more pacifist and did kinda value their opinion of Markus on their opinion on him.

Connor felt something solid smack into his already injured face. He stumbled backwards a bit before he managed to regain his footing whilst the other person fell forwards. Connor let out a gasp and immediately went to help the person stand, "I'm terribly sorry about-" the young android began but was quickly cut off but the angry face of a woman.  
"You fucking dumbass! All you androids are the same! You're all running around acting like nobody can hurt you! I'm sick of it!" She screeched and tried to hit him but Connor was quicker and dodged it. Connor watched as his stress level went from 43% to 66% rather quickly.

"I-I'm sorry I d-did-" Connor began stuttering out of nervousness, a habit it seems he's had since deviancy but was quickly grabbed by his bicep and forced to turn around. The smaller android glanced up to see the same angry man glaring at him. Connor tried to pull free but it only made the man tighten his grip, making the pain ten times worse. He heard several more footsteps before he was shoved to the concrete pathway. He managed to graze his palms and chin severely and to smack his head and knees against the concrete too hard for them to be okay. Connor tried to push himself up but a foot slammed down onto his upper back forcing him back into the concrete. Another foot joined in by hitting with all of its force into his left side causing Connor to cry out in pain.  
"Ha! Can you hear this stupid bitch?! It's actually acting like it can feel pain!" A different voice shouted and he heard different people laugh before another foot connected with his forehead. Connor screamed in pain as it caused several biocomponents to malfunction temporarily before returning to their normal functions. He felt someone pick him up by his arms before he felt somebody punch him in his stomach region. Even if he has no stomach it stills hurt a lot! The polymer is more sensitive and vulnerable there the same as if he had a stomach, thus making it just as painful for him to get hit there as a human.

Tears sprung to his eyes and he tried to push them away with his legs weakly kicking out in front of him. He managed to send a message to Markus and Hank asking for help but not knowing if they saw the message. Feeling desperate he sent one to North as well as he knew she'd definitely be awake at his time whilst the other's might not, especially Hank.

They continued this before they grew bored and one slammed his head into a brick wall before dropping him to the floor. "What should we do now?" Asked a deep voice that raised octaves randomly throughout the sentence but that could be his audio processors glitching.  
"I know!" A voice appeared from beside him and he could hear the evil smirk in their tone. He felt somebody flip him over before he heard the sound of glass being shattered and before he knew it there was a large shard cutting into his face just above his eyebrow. Connor feeling the burning agony screamed, the sheer intensity of it cause his voice modulator to start glitching and giving out as the scream was torn from it. The person, Connor managed to scan and identify as Jade Jones, continued cutting down his face until they reached his eye.  
"Such a shame these will have to go," she smirked before raising her arm and getting ready to bring the glass down to his eye.

"No, stop!" Connor cried and he managed to dodge as well as kick his legs out in front of him. Jade fell backwards into the concrete and hit her head, a small puddle of red grew beneath her head. Connor felt what he thinks is horror start to build up inside his chest at the sight of the bleeding woman. The person who was previously holding him captive let him go and ran over to her. Connor quickly scrambled away from them and heard several shouts of concern over probably Ms Jones and anger over him escaping. Connor felt large, fat tears fall out of his eyes as he tried to run away. He had a bad limp due to the stomping on his leg which had severely injured the limb.

Connor glanced behind himself to make sure he wasn't being chased when he ran into another solid object. This time, however, Connor got knocked over and fell onto his ass along with the other stumbling forwards but not falling. Connor clenched his eyes shut and rose his hands to cover his face as tears started to stream down his face. "Connor? RA9, Connor what happened to you?!" A familiar feminine voice shouted. Connor slowly opened his eyes and moved his hands away from his face. The familiar face of North made Connor begin to cry tears of joy as a broken smile made its way into his face. "Oh, Connor," North sighed and brought the younger android into a hug. When they first met Connor would've never thought that they would've become best friends or even friends! Connor's very happy that they did because honestly without her right now Connor thinks his stress levels might've reached critical. Even if they had a few rough moments at the start like most friendships they managed to sort them out. They're often called the 'Chaotic Duo' since North's hungriness for fights and aggressiveness seems to be fuelled by Connor's naivety and want to protect his friends and family. This usually leads to some rather interesting situations.

"Connor, what happened to you?!" Another voice screeched as they ran closer to him. Markus sat down beside the two and started to look over Connor as North let him go. His broken nose had just stopped leaking thirium and left a dry blue patch that was smudged from hugging North. His eyes were red and sore from crying along with fresh and dry tears on his cheeks. "Who hurt you?" Markus asked as he stroked his boyfriend's cheek.  
"I would rather not talk about it at this current moment in time," Connor mumbled quietly as they helped him to his feet. Markus shot him a look that told him that they'd be discussing this rather soon before guiding him back to Jericho.

Connor felt his leg give out slightly before he realised what had happened. He bit his lip and flinched as he tried to continue walking but ultimately it was worthless. He stumbled a bit before he fell over forwards with his hands grazing across the cement footpath. The tearing of his synthetic skin wasn't in the slightest comparable to the burning agony in his calf. "Shit! Connor are you alright?! I knew we should've got Hank to come get us," Markus' voice was louder now which meant he had probably knelt next to him. The always calm and reassuring tone of his voice seemed more shaken and concerned now, which honestly made Connor a little scared. Then he processed the second half of Markus' sentence.  
"You can't call Hank! He'll panic and blame himself!" Connor managed to push himself up into a sitting position despite the pain in his leg, "see! I'm fine we don't need to call him! Let's just keep walking!" Connor forced himself up but his programming seems to be failing as he just keeps staggering and stumbling on and over his feet.  
"Okay we won't get Hank but I refuse to let you keep putting pressure on your leg," Markus stood up, his voice more confident but still not as solid as usual. Connor sighed in defeat and nodded his head a little. A help left his mouth when strong, but not quite as strong as Markus', lifted him. He somehow got manoeuvred onto the person's shoulders and gripped their beanie pretty hard.  
"Alright let's go!" North shouted as she gripped his legs, careful on the injured one, and began walking, almost jogging. Markus had to run to catch up to them as North managed to get pretty far pretty quickly.

"That reminds me! I saw the fuckers that messed with you, Connor!" North shouted with a big grin in her face. Connor rose an eyebrow and glanced at Markus who looked equally confused.  
"I beat the absolute SHIT outta them!" Her voice reached a high and loud pitch when she cursed. She sounded way too proud over that for it to be safe or for those humans to not have to go to the hospital.  
"North! That's highly illegal!" Connor screeched and felt her entire body start convulsing from her powerful laughter. Connor honestly wishes he didn't feel good about the thought of justice being dealt out to them.


	4. Insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I chose to write about Connor struggling to sleep because of Amanda. This is an AU as canonically she didn't physically abuse him or at least I don't know about that... this could all be solved by one quick visit to the wiki but I shall remain in the dark I guess...
> 
> isn't it ironic this chapter is about insomnia and I wrote most of this at 1 am avoiding sleep cause I don't like sleeping at night apparently
> 
> WARNING: MENTIONS OF ABUSE AND HINTS OF SELF-HARM (ACCIDENTAL BUT STILL THERE)

Connor laid down on the rather comfortable couch that Hank had told him to rest on. Hank keeps offering his bed as apparently it's more comfortable but in Connor's opinion, the current surface he's lying on feels very soft in contrast to the other surfaces he's laid upon. Androids did enter stasis whilst standing though so attempting it laying down as something that seemed completely bizarre to Connor. However, that's beside the point the young detective is still trying to point out to Hank. He appreciated the generosity but he felt so... guilty? At the thought of shattering the man's already fragile sleeping schedule. Eventually, though Hank did give in but told Connor to come to him immediately if there was an issue, no matter how big or small he thought it was. If he stubbed his toe or a serial killer was breaking in it didn't matter he'd have to come to Hank ASAP. Connor won't lie he thought it was a bit... okay incredibly excessive and unnecessary but he understands Hank's just concerned.

Watching the man shuffle away made Connor realise that now his greatest dilemma wasn't the man arguing with him over where he slept... but instead falling "asleep." Every time Connor closed his optical units he sees nothing but the Zen Garden and Amanda. Normally that wouldn't be too serious if it wasn't for the fact that post-deviancy, she tried to kill him and his boyfriend. Even before deviancy, she wasn't the most pleasant person... AI... he'd met. She constantly would degrade him, hit him and on the rare occasion even force him into a reboot... that only happened once when he failed to retrieve the deviant he had chased and instead chose to save Hank's life. That wasn't the best way to tell him he had "messed up". Connor flinched at the memory. His hands clenching at the horrifying memory and his face scrunching up in pain. The phantom pains of the hands hitting him, the feeling of something hard and sharp hitting him repeatedly, the agony of his limbs being ripped off to try and accustom him to the torture. He never did grow numb to the pain... if anything he grew more neurotic of doing anything that would result in the slenderest hint of discomfort, which is ironic for his line of work.

Stress Levels: 55% ^^^

RAPID INCREASE OF STRESS LEVELS. REMOVE SELF FROM STRESSFUL AREA.

CONTACT CYBERLIFE FOR ASSISTANCE.

Connor breathed out and back in to try and relax the rapid beating of his thirium pump. Amanda wasn't around, she would never be around! Markus had some technicians he trusted to go through his software to try and hopefully remove her programming from his. Unfortunately, they couldn't get rid of her programming due to his more sophisticated code and programs but they had managed to deactivate her for the time. While it wasn't what he wanted he did appreciate the fact that now it was incredibly unlikely she would ever appear inside the Zen Garden. The garden itself was a part of Connor's mind and wouldn't ever leave him but now with her gone, he could try and make some better memories from it. His grasp on his shirt, which he didn't even realise he was gripping, loosened lightly at the comfort from his memories but it didn't help soothe the caution he felt at entering stasis. The mere thought of her made him feel... sick? She just made him feel disgusted and his biocomponents didn't feel as if they were functioning correctly.

He let out a groan and rolled over onto his "stomach" and buried his face into the delicate pillow Hank had supplied him with. He gripped the sides of his torso in an attempt to comfort himself; he couldn't get comfort from anybody else after all. Hank and Sumo were sleeping in Hank's bedroom, he couldn't bring himself to wake either up they both needed their sleep. Markus, he was way too busy at the moment. North? While they were close friends he didn't feel comfortable enough yet to vent about his trauma to her. He couldn't even think about asking Josh or Simon... he didn't know either well. Kara was a possibility but she's either sleeping right now or busy caring for Alice and Luther just scared him. There was nobody else Connor was close enough to that he could ask help from. He probably should make some more friends... or at least get a therapist.

He let out a sigh and felt his systems begin to cycle and process all the sensory information around him. This normally only happens when either he has woken up from his stasis or he's fully charged. Neither of these explained what he was experiencing as he hasn't undergone any of these two recently. Not wanting to waste any time he sat up quickly and decided he'd go through their most recent case, try to connect a few dots, that should help him fall asleep... hopefully.

"Connor!" a voice shouted at him and the young android detective jumped out of fright. He frantically stood up, turning to face where the shout had originated from. The sight of Hank ready for work and standing near the doorway with his keys in hand made Connor's face morph into confusion. He glanced out of the window nearby and saw the sun rising and bright blue skies beginning to colour the sky along with the soft orange and yellows. He blinked in confusion before rubbing his left eye and turning back around to Hank. The older detective looked both concerned and irritated, "well, are you coming or not?" He disappeared down the hallway most likely towards the door. Connor ran a hand through his unnaturally messy hair, wincing lightly when he tugged on a knot too hard before he headed in the direction he saw Hank last go. He wandered past the living room before he saw Hank standing nearby the door, already open, he was shouting something and someone... maybe Sumo? "Jesus, Connor! Are you awake?!" Connor's face flushed a little before he awkwardly walked out of the door and watched as the older detective lock the door. "Now, are you okay? You're acting weird," Hank's tone has softened a little as he led Connor towards his car.  
"I... I am functional," he replied as he went through his software to try and make sense of what Hank was talking about. There wasn't anything wrong with him. Right? He was still processing everything albeit slower. That must mean he's okay!  
"I wasn't talking about functioning idiot. I was talking about if you felt okay," He emphasized the felt part while poking Connor in the middle of his forehead. The deviant gave a few blinks before his face scrunched a little in confusion. He felt fine... well, besides a little sleepy, which he didn't even know he could feel.  
"I feel fine, Hank. Thank you," Connor replied realising he never answered his question. The man didn't seem to believe him at first before shrugging and walking around the car to get into the driver's seat.

Most of the ride to the Detroit Police Department was quiet and calm. The other bit was filled with Connor's system humming quietly as he tried to self-diagnose his problem. He closed his eyes to try and help him focus on his task at hand but all his diagnostic results came back negative, frustrating him further. The young android knew not to focus anymore on it otherwise he'd probably end up getting really pissed and based upon where they're going he might end up hitting Gavin. Well, not unprovoked of course! Gavin seems to love to terrorise him, which he still doesn't understand why since he hasn't done anything wrong. Connor ran a hand through his hair, letting out a soft sigh before glancing out of the window.

Upon arrival at the Department Connor could feel his mood rise slightly before staggering downwards all the way to the ground. He normally loves working and doesn't let the people he dislikes to dampen his mood but... well, Gavin was a special case. Connor had tried to get on better terms but it just seemed that no matter what he did Gavin just hated him. Connor trusted that the man must have some reasoning behind his distaste for androids... or at at least he hopes there's some reasoning behind it.

Connor snapped out of his internal ramblings when he almost ran into the glass door in front of him, only saved by Hank opening it for him. He sputtered a quick thanks with only Hank muttering something under his breath in response. "What's gotten into you? You've been spacing out and jumping all day..." Hank glanced over at the young android who stared back at him in confusion. "Don't look at me like that. You know what I'm talking about," Hank grumbled before reaching his desk and sitting down, his joints making a cracking noise that made Connor wince slightly. The android then blinked at him a couple of times after sitting in his seat. Connor looked down at his hands and moved his fingers a little and watching as they moved a little slower... nothing major but still a little noticeable.

A sudden noise of a folder being dropped next to him caused him to jump slightly in his seat. He glanced over at the folder before looking up to see Gavin. "Captain wants you two to work on this case," he announced whilst crossing his arms against his chest.  
"Oh, um thank you, Detective Reed," Connor picked up the file and opened it. A potential homicide case. An android, model AT100 named Sam, was found dead near a recently abandoned housing unit. There was no sign of struggle and very little evidence was found to point this towards possible hate crime. They found some fresh thirium from Sam mixed with red ice. Could have been a drug-induced suicide... but AT100's can't digest drugs... or maybe they can if they were a deviant. Deviancy is new so maybe drugs can impact them? That's not important right now though. There was some evidence pointing towards a murder as there was some dry human blood but the person had died two days prior to this crime from an overdose so they could be ruled out. However, more blood was found today and they're running tests to try and conclude who it belonged to. A small part of him was glad he didn't have to do the forensic part of this experiment right now.

Sudden pain on his forehead snapped him out of his thoughts and he rubbed the spot he was hit to see Gavin staring at Hank. "Does this thing even work? I mean I know it's a prototype and all but come on," Gavin smirked as Hank shot him a glare.  
"Yes he does work Gavin... he does more work around here than you do. Also for the last time, he's a He's not an it. You were alive when everybody accepted the use of pronouns and not purposely misgendering someone you asshole," Hank spat and he watched as Gavin scowled before his expression changed to confusion.  
"...I guess you have a point..." he responded before walking away with a contemplative expression on his face.  
"What just happened?" Connor muttered quietly as he shot Gavin a confused look before glancing at Hank who just shrugged in response. The detective shook his head, clearing his head of any lingering thoughts, focusing back into the file. He can only hope he can focus on his work now and not the remaining sleepiness that plagued his thoughts.

BATTERY POWER 67%

CONSIDER ENTERING STASIS TO RECHARGE BATTERY

Day three of no sleep and Connor can officially say he envies being a machine! At least then he didn't feel the overwhelming pain and uncomfortableness of walking when all you want to do is find the nearest surface and smash your face into it. He's spent every hour that he hasn't spent working trying to sleep. He suspects that even Hank has caught in at this point... or maybe not? Connor's brain hasn't been processing anything well lately... he missed an important piece of evidence for Sam's case yesterday because of this whole ordeal. Every second that passes is another second Connor wants to spend asleep and away from everyone else... maybe he should visit the Zen Garden? Maybe he should have them reactive Amanda? Oh RA9... he's going crazy! He wanted Amanda of all people to talk to!

Connor ran a hand down his face as he sat at a small oak desk. Papers carelessly placed around some had even fallen to the floor. The clearing of somebody's throat caught his attention. He turned around to see North standing next to him.  
"Oh... hello, North... when did you get there?" Connor asked and watched as her face turned to concern.  
"What do you mean? I've been calling your name for five minutes now..." She replied. The RK800 blinked before processing what she had said. He made a spud of understanding before turning away and looking at his work again. "Connor? Oh no, you don't! Markus didn't make me walk all the way up here to grab you only for you to ignore me!" North grabbed his arm with a lot of force and yanked him off his chair. Connor let out a startled yelp as he was practically dragged off the chair and out of the room. More papers had flown into the air and scattered across the floor making a larger mess than there had originally been. The young android wanted nothing more than to clean up the disorganisation of papers that had carelessly been thrown around.  
"North, this is serious! I have to focus right now!" Connor shouted desperately as he tried to rip his arm from her hold. Her hand let go of him as she stared at him with an unreadable expression. Turning away from her he returned to the desk and began to reorganise every fallen file, paper, and even a pen.  
"Connor, we're worried about you... you haven't stopped working and we don't even know the last time you slept," Connor let out a sigh and faced her. She was standing by the doorway having not moved an inch since he had last seen her.  
"I'm fine," he smiled and watched as she walked away, most likely going to get Markus to make him leave the room and his case.

This couldn't go well at all...

...

BATTERY POWER 35%

...

ENTER STASIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

CONTACT CYBERLIFE FOR A REPLACEMENT BATTERY IF NOT CHARGING

...

The unbearable weight of Connor's eyelids made him want to smack his head against the desk until he passed out. Five days have passed since he last slept and nothing has been done to either fix or help his solution or find the person that nurse Sam! Connor wanted nothing more than to find the nearest cactus and hug it until he slowly bled out so then at least he could rest! His bright brown eyes darted wildly from paper to paper, word to word, report to report! Everything was getting out of hand! He wanted to tear out his own hair! Curl by curl. Strand by strand! He couldn't focus... couldn't think... he doesn't even know where he is right now... All Connor knows that he'd rather be here than in the Zen Garden. Amanda would be there.

Didn't they disable her?

Who are they?

What is going on?

Zen Garden. He's in the Zen Garden, isn't he? Then where's Amanda? Where are all the roses? Why are all the plants wilting? Why are the stepping stones cracked and covered in dead moss? Is this what happens to the Zen Garden without Amanda? Wait... is Amanda really not here?

Connor blinked rapidly to try and clear his vision. He opened his eyes again to see himself staring back at him. He reached forwards and felt the cold, smooth surface of the glass. Another blink and he realised he was staring at a mirror. He spun around to see Hank's bathroom and Sumo sitting down beside the open door. Connor slowly sat down nearby the large saint bernard and began petting the soft fur. "What's wrong with me, Sumo?" He asked quietly and continued stroking the fur. Sumo gave him a whine in response before going quiet.

Connor sat there petting the dog for the entirety of the night.

...

BATTERY POWER 1%

...

EN-ER -IS AS -ON AS PO-

-ACT CY-IFE FOR A REPL- BATT-RY NOT

...

Connor blinked slowly and stared at the piece of paper in front of him. Before shutting his eyes and sighing softly. He can't remember the last time he went into stasis and apparently everyone's noticed now. According to those around him his eyes have actually managed to develop dark blue and purple, almost black, bags underneath them, which, he didn't even know was possible. His reaction time has gotten so slow Simon asked if he needed to have his programming updated or if his joints needed replacing. Maybe Connor should've taken him up on his offer considering he can't even process the simplest of commands that he requires. It feels as if his head was constantly hitting a brick wall. He felt like he was about to collapse at any point.

Connor stood up on his shaky legs and pushed himself away from the desk. He tried to take a few careful steps but it seems his programs had other plans as he was meeting the floor a lot sooner than he thought. His arms didn't have enough strength to protect himself from hitting the wooden floorboards. It did hurt but Connor didn't bother to focus on it too much. His entire body ached but he didn't feel like he could move. He just chose to lay there on the floor only moving to roll onto his back to lessen the burning pain on his "rib cage."

A faint sound that somewhat resembled his name echoed in his head. The young android pushed himself up forcefully. He turned around trying to find the source of the call but he couldn't see anyone. The calling kept getting louder and louder making Connor clutch his head in pain. The echoing kept on growing only making the grip Connor had on his head tighter grip resulting in his nails breaking his synthetic skin.  
"Connor!" A distorted voice shouted. His eyes widened upon opening. Why was everything blurry? Was he crying? Why was he crying? "Connor?!" Connor snapped his head in the direction towards the voice. Amanda.

That was it. Everything went black.

...

REBOOTING

...

NAME: Connor Anderson

MODEL TYPE: RK800

SERIAL NUMBER: #313 248 317 - 52

THIRIUM LEVELS: 98%

...

SOFTWARE CONDITIONS:

VIRUS PROTECTION SOFTWARE: FUNCTIONAL

BIOCOMPONENTS: FUNCTIONAL

RECONSTRUCTION SOFTWARE: FUNCTIONAL

FORENSIC ANALYSIS SOFTWARE: FUNCTIONAL

INTERNAL TEMPERATURE: 98°F

HANDLER:

NAME: Amanda

STATUS: ERROR NOT FOUND...

SCANNING ZEN GARDEN NOW...

...

...

...

WHEREABOUTS LOCATED...

...

LOADING ZEN GARDEN

...

Connor's eyelids felt a lot lighter in comparison to when he had last been awake. The raging headache he had and the deep ache in all of his limbs were also gone now. Connor felt something lightly brush against his cheeks in a constant pattern. The same feeling started on his hands as well now. Connor recognised the matter under his hands was tiny blades of grass. A gentle breeze brushed across his face. The refreshing and somewhat comforting fragrance of flowers floated through the air. He opened his soft brown eyes to see the brilliant blue sky with small, fluffy clouds breaking up the ocean of colour. He closed his eyes basking in the gentle light of the sun warming his face.

Connor forced himself to sit up despite his comfortable position when he realised he was in his room at Jericho last time he had his eyes open. As he reopened his eyes he noticed the strange familiarity of the scenery. He glanced around to see large oak trees stretching up towards the sky. Pushing himself to stand, despite the slight ache in his knees, he began to wander around aimlessly. There wasn't any scuttering of wildlife foraging for resources or even the distant chirping of birds singing their melodies. Only silence and loneliness greeted him. Roaming around for a bit longer he found a very distinct tree with large amber leaves. He watched as the ombre of yellows, orange, and even some red, leaves danced in the breeze. The hues of the leaves confused him as they were entering Spring and Detroit didn't have many trees with golden leaves. He followed one orange leaf as it fell downwards before getting snagged in the wind and moved away from the tree. Connor, who was leaning against the tree, watched with amazement as it moved so fluidly and effortlessly. The fact that a healthy leaf suddenly abandoned the branches, leaving behind what it had before and it's life, was so upsetting to him.

All of this bewilderment came crashing to a halt as he realised what laid in front of him. The Zen Garden. He knew where he was now. Now the lack of animals made so much more sense! But that's alright! He's alone here to think about all his problems and to solve them like a normal adult deviant android... now that he thinks about it that sentence didn't make much sense.

He took a hesitant step forwards, still gripping the tree. He forced himself to take a deep breath before releasing the tree and walking forwards. Passing by one of the gravestones. It was such an odd sight to see a gravestone of yourself whilst you are still alive. He reached the stepping stones and bit his lip. He knows Amanda's not here anymore but he can't shake off the uneasy feeling that he's being watched. The paranoia of unknown eyes just watching every single move he makes. Every step he takes is a step that somebody else is observing. Call him paranoid if you want but the idea of an unknown person hiding in the shadows just looking at him without his knowledge is a truly terrifying thought.

The detective chose to brush off the thought and continued his journey to the centre of the Zen Garden. The slight crunching of leaves under his feet as he hopped from the stone pathway to the grass. Reaching the hauntingly familiar centre he stared at the roses growing on the white wood that lead up to a large, obviously fake, and futuristic tree. The aroma of all the pollen in the air hit his sensitive sensors much harder than he anticipated. Bees would've liked this place... shame it held such horrid memories... and is all in his head. Reaching forwards he lifted one of the growing rose buds with his fingertips. "I never did like roses," he mumbled to himself and let go of the delicate plant, watching it drop a little going limp.

"That's a shame... they're such beautiful plants," A voice that Connor never wanted to hear again spoke up. The android froze in his place, joints locking up in place, his breath hitching and getting stuck inside his throat. The freezing pulse of fear shooting through his thirium lines and delicate wires was one of the first feelings he's ever experienced. But that couldn't be her she was gone! Part of him wanted to turn around and prove to himself he was going crazy and hearing things. The more rational part knew full damn well she was waiting for him to turn around. Then again maybe she was testing him. Biting his lip he spun around quickly to face his fears as fast as he could. To be honest that wasn't his smartest idea. Her dark eyes stared lifelessly at him. She hadn't changed a bit since he last saw her almost one and a half months ago. "It was rather challenging to get your coding to let me exist here once again," she spoke calmly as if she was perfectly innocent. She wandered up in front of him. "It would seem you haven't been doing too well since I last saw you," her hand rose and stroked his cheek, "your eyes have such dark circles under them... not only that but your hair is a mess... anybody would think you don't know how to care for yourself," she continued talking about everything that wasn't perfect with him. His slight lean in his posture, the single wrinkle in his standard Cyberlife uniform jacket, and even the dirt on his shoes as if she expected him to be ready and perfect to meet her.

"Amanda, I'm a deviant, not a machine. I don't have to be perfect. Only you and Cyberlife expected such ridiculous expectations from me," he spat and watched as her hand recoiled in shock. Her expression changed to one of an upset mother who had just been disrespected by her only child... and ironic comparison since Amanda didn't have any motherly instincts let alone the slightest bit of love and care for him.  
"Goodness, anybody would think you hadn't heard of manners," Amanda exclaimed. Connor scowled and shoved himself past her. He needs to leave. NOW.  
"Connor, running away won't solve your problems... you need me," She began and Connor whipped around with the coldest glare he could manage, "you were designed with the ability to go into stasis only with permission from a figure with higher authority." Connor froze and his eyes widened in realisation. He turned around a little, giving her a little bit of attention but still refusing to meet her eyes. "I'm afraid I'm the only person left who can allow you to enter stasis... I'm not sadistic I will allow you to enter stasis-" Connor let out a laugh interrupting Amanda.  
"Amanda, I'm not an idiot-" Connor started before Amanda rose a finger to her lips indicating for him to shut up. He did but didn't lower the glower he held.  
"I know I've done horrible things to you... I don't expect you to forgive me... however, you need me around or else you will not be able to rest and eventually your constant cycle of only entering stasis when your batter hits zero per cent... well, your battery wouldn't last long and there aren't any spare RK800 batteries let alone any that could be a substitute. Anyways, I will let you enter stasis as long as you let me stay here," Amanda prompted. The AI had a calm face and Connor couldn't find any single part of her that could lead him to believe she was deceiving him. Connor blinked at her. She was telling the truth... his battery would die soon if he continued this torturous and abusive cycle and he didn't have any spares.  
"Fine... but don't expect me to be nice to you," he grumbled and his eyes were full of fury and disgust as Amanda nodded.  
A small smirk formed on her face, "I would never expect it." Connor blinked in confusion at her reaction but he couldn't dwell on it any longer as everything began to fade to black.

A large gasp left Connor's mouth as he shot up from the bed he was laying down on. His thirium pump raced wildly and he felt like he was going to have a heart attack passed upon the symptoms he felt. "Connor!" A familiar but comforting tone spoke from beside him. The young detective quickly snapped his head to them and saw Markus and Hank standing there. His grip on his short loosened and he smiled faintly at them. Suddenly he was thrown into a hug by the two and a yelp was torn out of his throat from the unsuspecting contact. The sound of the door slamming open loudly made Connor snap out of his shock. North was in front having kicked the door open with Josh and Simon having walked in.  
"Connor, I'm going to hit you if you ever do something as stupid as that ever again," North threatened but was hit in the arm from Josh. Thet began to quietly argue while Simon just sighed in disappointment.

Markus and Hank eventually released him from the crushing hug. "Connor, next time you have problems like this please tell me... also I noticed when I was going through your code that a new line randomly popped up. It was the same one as the one we tried blocking. Normally I would just block it again but it seemed like your code just kind of... let it back in?" Simon looked at him before turning to watch North and Josh argue.  
Connor just shrugged in response "oh, well if my code wants it then let's just leave it," Simon gave him a perplexed expression.  
"Are you sure?" Markus asked who looked concerned while Hank was just purely confused. Connor gave a small nod. Connor sat there thinking for a bit feeling as if he had forgotten something. Something important that he was supposed to remember.  
"Oh, that reminds me! Simon if I ever turn down the opportunity to have my system check just hit me really hard." Connor spoke with the most monotone voice he could manage to ensure his point got across perfectly. The android gave a very slow and confusing nod in response.


	5. Poisoned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad blue blood...
> 
> this is why you don't lick random shit on the street kids. Don't be like Connor or you'll wind up in a hospital.
> 
> Warning: Blood + Seizure (there’s a seizure here)

"That tasted strange," a voice mumbled quietly behind Hank. The older detective turned around slowly already mentally preparing himself for what he was most likely going to see. Connor was squatted down near a small puddle of thirium with little navy blue droplets on his fingers. The android had a contemplative look on his face while staring at his fingers before glancing back down towards the puddle and then looking up at Hank. "Oh, hello Lieutenant," Connor smiled up at Hank who closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose.   
"Connor... what did I tell you about licking random shit on the floor," The man groused and let out a deep sigh after. Connor merely stared up at him and blinked with genuine confusion as if this was the first time Hank had ever mentioned this. "Wait- what do you mean it tasted strange? I thought you couldn't taste anything," The man asked with one raised eyebrow and crossed arms. The androids expression seemed to brighten like they usually did when he got the opportunity to talk to Hank about anything related to androids.  
"Well, I cannot taste like humans can as I do not have any tastebuds or taste receptors, however, I do have something similar. I was designed with sensors on my tongue made specifically to analyse as you know. My forensic analysis software does allow me to taste a little to assist in differentiating between-" Connor began but was quickly cut off by Hank.  
"Connor, I don't understand any of this mumbo jumbo... English Connor!" The android's face dropped and he looked up while holding his chin trying to think. He tapped his foot lightly and looking around a little, which was a habit that Connor had developed a few weeks after deviancy. He had got several habits, mostly good or neutral and none that directly harmed himself or others, from either Hank or the other androids he hung around. Although Connor did a few software quirks he developed himself like skipping the last step or two regardless of where he was, inside the Detroit Police Department or Jericho or even just walking down a normal flight of stairs. He has to skip the last one or two or else he'll just shuffle about awkwardly until he walks it off.  
"I can taste a limited amount due to my programming," he explained while rubbing the dried thirium off his fingers on his uniform.

Loud crashing broke off whatever comment Hank was going to make. They both turned around, Connor more so snapping than turning, to see a drunk man stumbling over trash cans while cursing rather loudly. The two detectives shared a confused glance before cautiously approaching the man who was now lying down on the pavement with his drink spilt and broken. His surprisingly formal and clean attire was wrinkled now along with his brown hair that had loose strands spring up. "Hello, sir, are you alright?" Connor asked as he crouched down beside the man with Hank standing beside him ready to shove the young detective out of harm's way. A grumbling noise came from the man and he carelessly waved his hand around in the air. Instead of resting his hand on the floor, he placed it on Connor's knee and used it to help push himself up. His pale face had bruises on it with his nose busted and bleeding slowly.  
"You... you one of 'em androids?" The man slurred while making messy eye contact with Connor before pushing himself up into a sitting position with the help of Connor. The android glanced up at Hank who just gave him an uninterested shrug.  
Connor looked back at the drunk, "I am... is there any way I could provide assistance to you, sir?" Connor defaulted to his polite and mechanical tone that indicated he was using his programming to try and communicate with the man. He only ever used these programs when he grew panicked and unsure of what to do. He has improved with socialising with people but that only seemed to apply to those he normally sees as strangers make him panic and default to his installed software.  
"You androids... good peoples... not very durable..." The man slurred. He moved to stand but stumbled over as soon as he got to his feet. He balanced himself before he staggered forwards narrowly avoiding running directly into Hank. The two detectives shared a concerned glance before Hank moved towards him.  
"Alright, we're gonna get you a taxi to take you home... you're interfering with police work and you can't be here," Hank stood in front of him with the drunk blinking slowly at him.  
"...okay..." Connor slowly walked up to the two with his LED blinking yellow before cycling blue again having contacted a self-driving cab.   
The man turned to Connor looking him up and down, "you a good kid..." the man smiled and gave him a thumbs-up before Hank led him down the alleyway. They left Connor blinking in confusion before smiling a little to himself.  
“Oh yeah... Don’t lick anything while I’m gone, Connor!” Hank yelled from a few feet away from him. The deviant rolled his eyes before turning away from the two.

Whilst this whole interaction had been going on Connor hadn't noticed the rising levels of his stress with his processors and biocomponents overworking themselves. Snapping out of his daze he turned back to the crime scene and started walking back towards the small thorium puddle on the floor. He crouched back down and his forensic software instantly made the connection between the liquid on the floor and some information in his database. He mindlessly ran through the components of the blue blood but couldn't find anything that caught his attention. He connected the blood sample to a PW200 model. Their details had been corrupted which he could only assume was an attempt at hiding themself from authorities. Connor stood up as a wave of dizziness washed over him. He stumbled forwards before he managed to collect himself and stand upright shaking his head. His head felt a little sore from the whole action and tried to focus on the ground in front of him not moving. The dizziness did eventually dull down but he couldn't shake off the feeling of being unbalanced. His legs were aching a little but he could manage with it after all he's gone through a lot worse.

He shuddered at the reminder of the violent JB300 deviant that had torn out his thirium pump regulator. That whole ordeal has left some negative impacts on his regulator that causes it to malfunction at times but it'll be okay. He doesn't have any compatible parts to replace it even if he wanted to fix it but he doesn't mind since it does still work.

A hand slapped his shoulder making the detective jump out of fright. Connor spun around and slapped the hand off his shoulder while gripping the wrist in a tight grip. "Motherfuck- Connor what the fuck?!" Hank cursed loudly which made Connor immediately release his wrist while frantically apologising and scanning and checking over Hank's wrist.  
"I'm sorry about that Hank you had startled me and I acted according to my programming... I'm sorry if I had injured you in any way," Connor apologised. The older detective just stared at him in confusion before pulling his wrist away from the deviant.  
"What's gotten into you? A minute ago you were fine but now you're all jumpy and shit... Did something happen?" The older detective watched Connor just shrug in response with his LED cycling yellow. It was reassuring to see the yellow instead of red going based off of previous experiences. 

However, his relief didn't last long as it almost immediately cycled back to a bright crimson with Connor's expression changing from uncertainty to horror in a matter of seconds. The android slowly moved to sit on the floor with his head resting on his arms that were crossed and resting on his knees. “Connor? Connor? What’s wrong, son?” A larger hand rested on his shoulder as Connor focused on breathing in and out slowly. He doesn’t think this will help his systems but who knows?   
“urgh... I think... I think I may have licked a contaminated source of thirium...” Connor pushed himself onto his knees and pressed his forehead on his thighs while Hank continued running his hand over his metallic spine trying to comfort the deviant.  
“What does that mean? Are you going to be alright-“ Hank began before Connor suddenly rose his head and lurched forwards. Deep blue blood just poured out of his mouth and leaked a little out his nose. He tried breathing in before choking really hard on the blood in his throat before coughing up some more. Hank jumped back as more flooded out of his mouth pooling onto the floor.   
“S-some-thing... something’s... wrong-“ Connor coughed really harshly and tried to sit upright before more leaked out of the corner of his mouth. Connor collapsed to his side and gripped his sides while squeezing his eyes shut and squirming lightly. Connor breathed in before static burst out of his mouth. His eyes opened wide and his arms loosened slightly before twitching slightly along with his legs. His limbs started moving twitching and moving around mindlessly. Blood slowly trickled out his nose. 

Hank watched helplessly beside him with his face full of terror. He was watching his second son have a seizure in front of him, bleeding out of his mouth and nose. The older detective waited until Connor’s limbs stopped moving and he remained motionless on the ground. “Connor?” Hank spoke slowly and softly and reached forwards to touch Connor on the shoulder. The android’s head limply moved as Hank slapped it lightly. Connor didn’t respond verbally but his bright red LED cycled yellow slowly before going back to crimson. “Hold on son... I’ll... I’ll... fuck... I’ll call Markus,” The older detective reached into his pocket fishing around for his phone before a soft hand gripped his wrist.  
“Don’t... already... already... contacted...” The android replied sluggishly before his hand flopped onto the floor limply. Hank moved Connor to lean on his shoulder with some blood still dribbling down his chin. The detective wrapped his arm around his shoulder and rubbed it in comfort.   
“You’ll be alright...” Hank reassured with a slight smile.   
“I always am...” Connor smiled before closing his eyes with his LED cycling slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmhmhmhmgm I wanna sleep and have this an open ending so who knows how Connor wound up! Did he die? Probably not. Did he live? Definitely!


	6. Friendly Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> North has some deadly snowball throws. Unfortunately, nobody told Connor this and he gets knocked out from her... but it wasn't really her but like... she was a catalyst???

Connor stared out the slightly frosted window with interest as he watched little white flakes of snowfall down from the sky. He glanced around and saw most of the androids that had previously made the room in Jericho lively had already left. Most androids were heading out to celebrate the holidays with their family or friends. Connor would've been doing the same with Hank but the older detective was out of town at the moment meeting up with some old friends. He'd be back in a couple of hours but Connor couldn't help the loneliness he felt watching some androids leaving laughing and smiling while he was stuck indoors helping move boxes around. He could hang out with his friends or Markus... but they were busy and Connor would rather help them than sit around waiting for Hank to return like a dog awaiting their owner. Glancing back over at the window he smiled as he shifted the box in his arms to regain his grip. He continued watching entranced by the snow dancing around and covering the ground. Connor liked snow. He could deal with the occasional snowfall and even light snowstorms at times... but blizzards crossed the line. He should be grateful that no blizzards have hit yet. He should also be grateful that Amanda hasn't reappeared yet and that he hasn't been in the Zen Garden since he deviated. Would the place still be a winter wonderland? Or would it be different now that Amanda wasn't "caring" for the garden?

"Connor, there you are!" A voice boomed nearby his ear snapping him out of his daze. Turning slightly he saw North standing next to him with a smug expression as usual.  
"Hello, North, do you require my assistance?" He internally winced at his wording. He's been trying to sound less mechanical and that meant not using large vocabulary when unnecessary along with not asking if people "required his assistance" instead of "how are you?" Even if those around him keep reassuring him saying they don't mind how he talks and "it's reassuring that at least someone knows what they're fuckin' talkin' 'bout." The last one was a direct quote from Hank when he had asked him how he felt about his complexity with verbal communication. That didn't exactly ease his anxiety about the whole situation even if he trusted Hank to not lie to him about something as supposedly unimportant as the way he talks. Perhaps he should've talked about it some more to the man, apparently talking about your internal affairs will help you cope with them? That doesn't make sense to him but he's willing to give anything a shot at this point.

"Hellooooo? Earth to Connor.. are you alive in there?" North knocked on the part of his head next to his LED watching as it cycled from yellow to blue confirming he had, in fact, heard her. "Alright then... how about we put the box down... and go in the snow! I saw you starin' and I can tell you need a break! So there's no point in lying to me!" She shouted as she practically punched the box out of his arms onto the floor and then proceeded to throw her arm around his neck, pulling him down. Connor winced at the crashing noise of the box but let himself be dragged around by the shorter female even if he was itching to go pick the box up and clean whatever mess it made. The further away he got the more paranoid he got. What if somebody slipped? He'd never forgive himself. He still hasn't gotten over what he did to the old Jericho and deviants in his past. Biting his lip he turned around and watched as it slowly disappeared from his vision as the two rounded a corner. At least now it didn't feel like the weight of the whole situation was on his shoulders. As they got closer to the door to the back of Jericho North froze. "What was in that box by the way? You seem worried about it," She watched Connor process what she had said for a few moments before he winced in realisation.  
"That box contained some of Markus' paints," he watched as her face scrunched up.  
"Yiiikessss... I'm going to get in trouble for that one... oh, well! Let's go get the snow!" She shouted quickly overlooking the paint hazardously splattered on the flooring and guiding them out the building.

"Now, why would you be paranoid over Markus' paints spilling? You of all people should know he's got no mean circuits in his body," North watched the amber yellow LED light cycle almost instantaneously to a vibrant blood red. The detective's face became horror-stricken, his eyes widening and glistening over as if tears were threatening to spill, before going back to the reserved, blank expression he normally had when something got on his nerve.  
"That has nothing to do with him..." The man uttered coldly with his eyes gazing blankly ahead of them. North got the impression rather quickly that he didn't think he could talk about what was upsetting him even if he wanted to.  
"If you need to talk to someone about anything you can talk to us... we're your friends," North suggested and watched as his LED slowly cycled back to usual azure blue his face becoming more relaxed and calm but his normally chocolate brown puppy eyes still had the same weary and tired atmosphere ensnared within them. They walked in silence for a few moments before Connor turned his head to her.  
"I appreciate your words... but I'd rather deal with this alone for now," he gave her a small, awkward smile that was obviously forced. North left him alone after that.

To say the wind was cold would be the greatest understatement of the year. The sheer cold of the wind bit at Connor's face sending a shiver throughout his systems. Unfortunately, Connor's Cyberlife provided clothing was pretty thin and didn't protect him against the natural elements. The android hesitantly took a step onto the icy pathway as North nudged him forwards. Despite being made to have grace and swiftness in all his actions by Cyberlife the way he just stumbled and slipped put those words and the company as whole to shame... then again Cyberlife has already become a shame itself after the whole peaceful android protest and the rather unpleasant practices they had with some androids. His left leg slipped out underneath him first, sliding to the side, his other leg managed to stay stabilised but it didn't stop his arms from flailing about. In his defence he just has slippery shoes... yes that's it. After regaining his balance and composure he took a hesitant step forwards and this time he didn't slip. He continued slowly making his way to the deep snow that covered what used to be a lush, vibrant, green patch of grass that even grew little daisies. Upon arriving in the snow he sunk down until his ankles were completely submerged in the freezing snow. Now his socks were soaked and he can confirm when humans say this is the worst experience. Wet socks are most definitely the worst thing to have ever happened to him... and he had to deal with Amanda for almost half a year.

"North I am unsure as to whether or not this a good-" Connor began speaking but as he gradually turned around something freezing smashed into his face. The hysteria of it caused Connor to stumble back onto the snow-covered ground. The detective wiped the snow off his face with his hands that had already gone numb and sore, which he didn't even know could happen.  
"What's wrong is the tiny baby boy of the Jericrew afraid to get his clothes dirty?" North mocked whilst tossing another snowball around in her hands. Connor knows better than to listen to her taunts but he is not a baby and while yes he doesn't want to get dirty he won't let North use that to her advantage. The detective slowly stood up into a crouch while he built a ball slowly before he hastily stood up and launched the snowball directly at her face. The woman toppled back much as Connor had only a few moments beforehand. She let out a laugh before she retaliated with another ball. The two ended up in a snowball fight with North clearing having the better strength from the fact that Connor had dropped a total of twelve times while she had only slipped over five times.

The sound of something smashing against the window next to Markus made him freeze. He had been walking down one of the many corridors in Jericho ready to move the next set of boxes to their location when something crashed into the lightly frosted over window beside him. He backed up a little to see bits of snow covering the glass panes. He looked around to see Connor and North throwing the bunched up shards of ice crystals at each other. This was one of the first times in a while since the revolution that Connor's actually looked at peace and like he's genuinely enjoying his life. It isn't often that Connor relaxes or isn't focused on something related to either his job at the Detroit Police Department or Jericho. North on the other hand usually relaxes too much but she does work hard. She doesn't trust people easily and was still very wary of Connor up until a couple of months ago. This would be a great opportunity for the two to get to know each other better even if North keeps declaring that they're "best friends and she never had a single doubt about him." It was a rather obvious judgment to let the two remain mucking about. With that, he proceeded down the hall towards the boxes still recalling the surprisingly... wholesome interaction he had observed. He did have a slender sensation of something grave happening but that's probably just him being paranoid. After all, what's the worst that could happen?

Markus is gonna regret his words soon.

Connor's thin clothing didn't help out his biocomponents that had begun to overwork themselves to the point he could hear his thirium pump hitting his chassis. Some of his software had started freezing occasionally if he pushed himself too far. His fingertips had gone numb with his palms going a strange purple-ish colour not only that but they were freezing and the thirium underneath rushing around near the surface was a pitiful attempt to force warmth into his fingertips. His fans were struggling and his pants came out in white puffs of air... that usually wouldn't happen. His ventilators hadn't exhausted themselves this hard before not even when he used to chase deviants across buildings and moving trains. Not only that but his thirium pump regulator was also experiencing complications with keeping up with the abrupt action that required a lot of his power. Ever since the incident in the Stratford Tower, it has been facing some technical issues with it... nothing he can't handle! Just it gets difficult to do certain activities without a warmup. It's nothing he can't handle... after all the worst that's happened so far is an occasional sharp stabbing feeling that has caused him to pass out more times than he can count... his description made it seem a lot more detrimental than it-

His thoughts halted abruptly as something hit him with a tremendous amount of force in the back of his head.

WARNING:  
DANGEROUSLY LOW TEMPERATURES  
SLIGHT DAMAGE TO EXTREMITIES, JOINTS, AND THIRIUM PUMP  
SLIGHT DAMAGE TO CRANIUM

COMPONENT #8456w EXPERIENCING ERRORS

ENTERING TEMPORARY STASIS UNTIL TEMPERATURES RISE TO OPTIMAL LEVELS AND BIOCOMPONENT IS FUNCTIONAL

A loud crunch and the sounds of fans whirring noisily made North freeze as she confusedly watched Connor collapse face-first into the snow. After a few minutes of North just standing and listening to the fans going haywire before abruptly cutting off she cautiously shuffled forwards before plucking up a nearby stick that had fallen onto the snow. North "gently" jabbed the motionless android in his shoulder blade. Normally the man would freak out or give some sort of response if North would ruffle his feathers. By now he should've acknowledged her presence and said something... she's even willing to take an insult from him if it means she didn't just knock the life out of him!  
"Connor? Connor, did I kill you? If no then give me a thumbs up..." not even one of his fans made a noise and North continued poking him. Realising the situation the android hesitantly backed up before sprinting away as if her life depended on it into New Jericho while screaming random names hoping desperately for somebody to ask her what's wrong. She doesn't want the weight of Connor's death on her shoulders. Not now! Maybe a few months ago... but not now! She's fallen victim to his puppy dog eyes and stupid naivety.

Markus stood staring at the beaten box that had paint leaking out of the bottom of it. With the paints being blue it almost resembled somebody crushing an entire bottle of thirium. "Who the...?" He crouched down and turned over the box before sighing disappointedly and picking it up. "These were hard to get..." he frowned and glanced down at the box dripping paint onto the floor. "Maybe I can salvage some?" He mumbled to himself. Realistically it shouldn't be too hard but he was excited to unbox them.  
"Markus! Markus! Holy fucking shit where are you?!" A voice started screeching nearby. The voice sounded a bit staticky as if they had been screaming their throat out for a while. Normally that would've caused him to stop worrying about the paints but he knows exactly who was shrieking. He shuddered and started to mentally prepare himself for North to pull some horrific prank on him. "Markus I think I might have just somehow accidentally committed android manslaughter!" She screamed and waved around a large stick scratching up the walls and some paint chipping. Great... more paint has been ruined in the last minute than his entire life.  
"North, what did I tell you about the sticks inside. Last time you almost poked somebody's eye out! Wait... you did what?" Markus blinked slowly at the woman as she quickly grabbed his arm and started tugging.  
"Questions later! Connor dying in the snow first!" She yelled as if she had truly butchered the man.  
"What?! You two were having a snowball fight how did you "kill" him?!" The deviant leader shouted but got no response. He decided to go along with whatever North was planning, especially if she was serious. Last time she said this the detective had just been doing some self-repairing as she had bumped into him. He had fallen forwards and broke his nose pretty bad whilst also getting knocked unconscious. Then there was the time Connor somehow wound up on the roof outside and North missed catching him... and he landed in one of the rose bushes... not the prettiest sight. Markus shuddered at the memory of he still had his LED he's sure it would've gone red purely from the memory. Markus never wants to see that many wounds on Connor even if they were just scratches. Somehow Markus still hasn't learnt to try and make sure somebody else is with them because North's confidence and violence is a bad combination with Connor's naivety and over-trusting nature. Now that he thinks about it why does everything they do wind up with Connor getting hurt?

Thank RA9 Markus wore his coat cause it looks absolutely freezing out here. He's sure he would've instantly shutdown if a single gust of wind hit him without it. "I'm surprised nobody died in this cold... now, where is Connor?" Markus asked as North continued to drag him out into the winter air. North didn't reply and instead tugged harder on his sleeve almost yanking him onto the ground. Now that was unnecessary and rude.

They reached a snowbank where there was a slight ditch where somebody could've fallen but no distinct shapes could be made out of it. However, two sets of footprints were visible in the snow in front of them. Markus shot North a confused stare as the woman's jaw dropped and she looked around wildly. "He was just here! He passed out! Do you think somebody kidnapped him-?!" North began and grasped Markus' collar in her hands. Markus gently pried her hands off him and opened his mouth ready to convince her that he probably woke up and wandered off somewhere like he usually does. Actually, he had to talk to Connor about that.  
"Yeah, I fuckin' did," a rough voice spoke nearby them. They both turned to see Hank standing with a very grumpy and unimpressed stare. That usually means that the person who gets that stare is in very deep shit. Connor, on the other hand, looked very nonchalant and calm he even was smiling a little with his LED staying a calm sapphire blue. He was rocking on his heels a little but otherwise stood as he usually did. "I leave Connor with you guys for two days and you manage to let him freeze up like an old mac laptop tryin' to load Minecraft," The Lieutenant tapped his foot impatiently and crossed his arms.  
"In their defence, Hank, Markus had nothing to do with the incident and North hadn't intentionally meant for my software and biocomponents to freeze-up. It was all a-" A hand slapped over his mouth cutting him off mid-sentence. The stare Hank gave him said the two most famous words Hank always says to him, shut and up.  
"But Connor how... how did you wake up?" North asked. The android made hand gestures before ultimately giving up on telling his story. I didn't take long for the brown eyes to get a mischievous glint in them.  
"Connor... don't you fuckin' dare," the Lieutenant warned but Connor just stared back with the same stare as before. Everything was quiet for a split second before Hank's hand shot away from Connor's mouth and the other shoved his shoulder. The younger detective stumbled over and barely avoided to fall on his ass. Hank wiped something onto his jacket and continued grumbling profanities, "you fuckin' walkin' forensic lab... why do you have to lick everything?!" He shouted but Connor just grinned "evilly" at Hank.  
"Anyways, my systems had begun working on heating my biocomponents and thirium as soon as I had collapsed and entered status, I assume that's when you left. I eventually rebooted but as I had Hank had turned up and now this is where we are," Connor clapped his hands together after re-telling his story.

Markus walked over to Connor. "Connor, I think we have to talk about your tendency to wander off after something bad happens," he watched as Connor laughed awkwardly and avoided eye contact with him.

"I believe I may be in trouble now... "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha, I'm writing this instead of studying for my English exam tomorrow haha... I'm going to fail!


	7. Stranded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor's voice modulator is broken and so is one of his legs as he's takin care of a case with Hank. He's stranded for a bit where everybody's elsewhere and the person who hurt him is hiding nearby. So he's like bleeding out so kinda not stranded since like I don't think anyone can manage to leave him alone.
> 
> we got some RK1K at the end cause I needed it

Connor scanned the room around him, a broken vase, dried blood, and there were even some glass shards scattered hazardously across the floor, speaking of the floor the planks were broken and splintered up in a few spots. The walls had paint chipping off and an odd yellowish tint in the room that reeked of soot and hazardous chemicals that make even him gag and he wasn't aware he could gag at smells. The android glanced around and couldn't make out any bit of the paint that hasn't been stained from the smoke. Dragging his finger lightly across the wall he managed to get some to wipe off onto his finger revealing a pearl white wall. Recoiling in disgust Connor wiped his finger on the nearby couch, which was equally disgusting but at least it didn't smell like a rotting corpse mixed with acetone, tobacco, and bleach. Connor normally isn't the type of person to judge how people live, especially after a murder but this... this place is just repulsive.

Letting out a sigh Connor walked over to the deceased android laying down on her side. An AX400 model, like Kara, only she had cut and dyed her hair a pale lavender and had pale green contact lenses in. She was wearing what looked like a local cafes uniform, she must've just finished her shift when she had been grabbed. Her abdomen had a total of seven stab wounds with her forehead leaking thirium from a large dent a cut. Connor hopes her death was quick and as painless as possible even though her wounds say otherwise. Taking a sample of her thirium he began analysing.

CONNECTION MADE:  
NAME: Eleanor  
MODEL TYPE AND SERIAL NUMBER: AX400 # 579 102 798  
ACTIVATION DATE: June 17th 2036, 2 years old  
FAMILY: Jasmine - WR400 #641 791 059 (Partner)  
CRIMES: None  
DEVIANCY STATE: Deviant

She was one of the newer AX400 models along with her partner being one of the last WR400 models to be activated. Connor ran a hand down the side of his face knowing exactly what kind of night he was going to have after this... He was not looking forward to breaking the news. Connor knows that other officers would be okay with doing it for him, everybody at the precinct can practically see the social awkwardness he has, but if it's an android then Connor doesn't feel right sending somebody else. Some androids still aren't comfortable around humans and would prefer talking with another android... although with his previous status as the "Deviant Hunter" maybe a human would be better. Shaking his head Connor knew realistically many had thought he was "redeemed" but... he couldn't shake off the paranoia.

Connor glanced around to see thirium splattered on the floor from an injured android and once again dried blood from an unknown human on the floor. Connor wiped his fingers on the dried blood, barely any got on the tip of his fingers but he did get some at least and then proceeded to lick them when he was sure Hank wasn't watching him. Here's to hoping these blood samples were contaminated with any of the bacteria here. His sensors and forensic software scanned and ran the DNA through his system. Fortunately, no bacteria was discovered other than the ones usually present in human blood.

CONNECTION MADE  
NAME: Craig Spencyr.  
BIRTH DATE: January 1st 1998, 40 years old.  
FAMILY: REDACTED  
CRIMES: Drug possession, aggravated assault, and murder.

Goodness, how did this man ever get out of jail? Standing up Connor blinked and was ready to walk over to the thirium to begin analysis. A very sudden bang sounded above his head and he tilted his head towards the roof out of curiosity. He glanced back down and watched Hank continue to converse with the other detectives, not having noticed or heard the sound. Now Connor knows he should continue analysing the evidence after alerting the other present detectives to the noise. So, he has no idea how he wound up walking towards the stairs having not listened to what his programming was screaming at him to do. Perhaps deviancy was making him a bit too confident in his abilities to go alone when checking out what could possibly be the murderer. Whatever it was it was working because now he's upstairs alone, investigating a random noise that could be an anti-android murderer or maybe it's a bird trying to access the building through a closed window. It's happened more times than he can count.

Stepping forwards with slow, quiet steps Connor began to analyse and scan his surroundings, anything out of place and odd was taken and noted down in his mind before he continued on. Wandering down the hallway he noticed how it was a lot cleaner up here than downstairs, in fact, it looked brand new as if nobody had been living here. The hallway had wine purple walls a normal human wouldn't be able to find any blood on them, fortunately, there isn't any. That doesn't mean that there couldn't have been some before. There was a strange abstract painting on the wall, briefly scanning it Connor couldn't find an artists name connected to the artwork. That should mean the man who lived here created it. Walking away he noticed how every tenth floorboard would squeak and creak, possibly intentional. It might be a warning to the man that somebody was approaching. It was quite an intellectual tactic to ensure you definitely heard somebody walking... or maybe the tenth plank was just weak and he was looking into this too much... again. Connor continued walking down that strangely long hallway, "who needs a hallway this long? sure there are a few rooms connected to it but... why?" the detective thought to himself.

Connor glimpsed around the room after reaching the end of the hallway. It appeared to be an office. There was a large wooden desk with a laptop scattered on the desk with lots of paper covering almost all of the surface with scrunched paper balls in a bin across from it. There were quite a few dead potted plants and a large corkboard nearby it. Only one note was tacked onto it. Walking to the desk Connor scanned all the notes, all the information on the paper was about androids, old propaganda about how they can't feel, thirium usage, and even some information on how to successfully create red ice. Scowling Connor opened the laptop and thank RA9 for him being an android this way he can just pull the skin back on his hand to unlock the electrical device. The device began to slowly boot up before the screen suddenly went blue and white text popped up. It crashed. Connor frowned before he left the device to restart and reboot. The laptop likely will crash again but there's no harm in trying. Leaving behind the booting laptop he wandered over to the corkboard. There were a few webs connected from the corner of the roof to the board but other than that it looked as if nobody had touched it after placing the note. The note was a pale yellow and the edges at the top were rough and rigid. They must've been in a hurry. Plucking the note off the wall Connor began to scan it. Nothing out of the ordinary... except the fact there was nothing written on it. "Who would stick a blank note to a corkboard? Maybe they were planning on using it eventually..." he murmured aloud to himself. He flipped it around and still no text, weird. Placing the note back he glanced around. Nothing else seemed weird about the place. The laptop was still rebooting, it apparently crashed again.

creak... creak...

Connor snapped around and carefully approached the door, hiding next to the wall. Glancing out quickly he only noticed a previously closed door was now open. Connor scanned around trying to identify anything else that could've moved... his scans came back negative. There was no way to get back downstairs without whoever was there hearing or seeing him. Taking a deep breath he forced himself to leave the room, cautiously watching his step and avoiding all the planks he knew squeaked. As he got nearer sounds of shuffling and closing doors became louder and clearer. Pulling his gun out of his jacket pocket Connor got ready to defend himself if the situation came to it. He didn't flick the safety off despite knowing even if he got spooked he wouldn't accidentally pull the trigger, it just reassured him that he wouldn't end up hurting an innocent person. He's already done that enough before he went deviant. Connor froze near the doorway and listened... silence. Strange. Connor let out the breath he'd been holding since he left the office. Sprinting in he raised his gun, "DPD drop your-!" Connor froze. No one was here. A window was open and light lavender curtains blew in the wind. He kept his gun up and hesitantly approached the window. Glimpsing out he saw nobody and the height was way too high up for even an android to survive without sustaining serious injuries. Lowering his gun back into his pocket Connor began scanning around trying to locate the suspect. He closed the window not finding any signs of anybody actually leaving through it. Sighing Connor did one last scan of the area but the result came back to the same conclusion.

An abrupt stinging pain burned on his cheek as something solid collided with his face. He staggered to the side and spun around to face the assailant as something else collided with his forehead. Connor pushed himself to the side, narrowly dodging another fist aiming for his head. Having avoided his attacker Connor got a good opportunity to scan the man's face. He was very pale and had several scars across his face, that certainly hadn't aged well due to drug addiction. His hair should've been a dirty blond but instead, it was a very messy, black, blob. He was very muscular... that wouldn't help the android very much right now. Connor ran around the corner with enough speed he almost slipt on the planks. The android attempted to dash forward and over the railing but something gripped the back of his jacket collar and threw his onto the ground. It didn't hurt all that much considering he's had worse but damn did it knock his processors out of it. A foot stomped down onto his hand as Connor reached with his other hand to grasp the ankle before giving it a harsh shove. Despite the aching in his hand and his chest, he thrust himself up off the floor as an arm wrapped around his left knee and ripped his balance out from underneath himself. Connor's face smacked onto the planks, feeling something in his nose break along with a thirium line breaking. Then a hand-pulled him by his hair and yanked as hard as they could without losing their grip on him. A rough hand grabbed his throat as Connor's hands wildly hit anything they could reach. Connor kicked up hitting something that made the man release his grip on him entirely. The android heard the sound of glass shattering as a metallic object slammed through it. Surely that got Hank's attention! He tried to stand but found his left leg was slower and struggling to keep up with his programs. A glistening shard caught his attention as he glanced up to see something slash across his field of vision. The detective's voice broke out into a harsh static before abruptly cutting off completely as his throat was cut open, his voice modulator was damaged seriously along with a major thirium line in his throat being cut open. His eyes widened dramatically as blue poured down his neck and no words or cries for help left his mouth no matter how much he screamed, no sound came out. Up until this point, Connor thought his fear of heights would be the worst thing he experiences... this isn't the first time Connor's been wrong but this one has much harsher consequences than before. Connor scrambled backwards as another hand gripped his left popliteal fossa and yanked his leg harshly backwards while pressing his foot down on his thigh, tearing some plates and wires from their original placing. Nothing but burning agony shot up his leg and he couldn't even scream to let out his frustration and distress. He could feel thirium dripping down from his knee and a few sparks from broken and exposed wires.

WARNING EXTREME DAMAGE TO NOSE, VOICE MODULATOR, AND LEFT KNEE.  
MAJOR THIRIUM LINE RUPTURED  
MINOR THIRIUM LINE RUPTURED  
THIRIUM LEVELS: 99% V

STRESS LEVELS: 75% ^

PLEASE SEEK ASSISTANCE FROM NEAREST CYBERLIFE STORE OR TECHNICIAN

Great observation.

"Now why don't we wait for your friends to come here," A rough voice grumbled and began dragging away from the stairs and hallway back towards the office. Connor was actually grateful the man didn't grab his now broken leg but also incredibly ungrateful so now he can't kick him away. Connor couldn't use his arms to rip him out of his hold or else he'd risk ripping his other leg out of the joint. Connor's head bumped against the floor a little a few times. Reaching the office wasn't the worst thing as he was propped up against the wall and his leg had less pressure on it. His spine, on the other hand, ached. Technically he didn't have a spine like a human's but it was similar in the way it looked but it's less frail and damage to it doesn't result in immediate and permanent paralysis. Though damage to it does slow down motor functions and their processor's slow down without having a proper connection to the switchboard inside their "brain."

"Connor, what the fuck are you doin'? Why are you bumpin' around so much?!" Hank shouted along with the familiar thumps of him climbing up the stairs. The android wanted nothing more than to warn Hank about the man who stood beside him, readying himself to attack the Lieutenant when he walked through the doorway. There wasn't much Connor could realistically do without injuring himself further. There was no way he was going to let Hank get hurt. Not even if it means Connor has to sacrifice himself. Connor cares too much about his father figure to let him just take a hit for him.

The android threw himself to the side toppling over in front of the doorframe. Connor felt more thirium pour out his throat as he crashed forwards onto his face. Something cracked open on his forehead from his overdramatic action.

WARNING EXTREME DAMAGE TO VOICE MODULATOR, LEFT KNEE, AND NOSE.  
MAJOR THIRIUM LINE RUPTURED  
MINOR THIRIUM LINE RUPTURED  
THIRIUM LEVELS: 73% V  
STRESS LEVELS: 83% ^

PLEASE SEEK ASSISTANCE FROM NEAREST CYBERLIFE STORE OR TECHNICIAN

Using all the strength he had left Connor forced himself upwards, only getting his head and upper torso off of the floor. His head was hung down between his shoulders with thirium dripping down out of his nose and throat. Some thirium dropped down from his forehead into his right eye, partially blurring any sensory information registered in that optical unit. The detective heard boots clicking against the wooden floor beside him before something collided with the back of his head. His head smashed back into the floor. Pain rocketed through his software and sensors, his pain receptors flaring wildly from the sudden attack. "Well... it's a shame you decided to ruin the fun," The murderer murmured and ground his heel into the back of Connor's scalp. Nothing left the deviants mouth as he attempted to shove the boot off the back of his head. he heard a burst of static echo from his damaged voice modulator but that was it. A gun clicked nearby somewhere. Connor managed to move his head a little to the side to see Hank now aiming his pistol directly at the man, Connor's usually pristine hair was messed and he could barely see exactly what was going on through the strands that covered his eyes. Another click echoed above his head. Connor's eyes widened in horror when he heard the familiar click. Another gun. "Put your gun down officer... put it down now or I'll shoot you and this piece of shit beneath my boot!" A cold, unsettling feeling spread throughout all of his systems. A freezing yet burning pain that made him still completely still. While he had been mostly still before, the gun and words made even his ventilation software shut off completely to avoid even the slightest movement. The Lieutenant slowly lowered his gun after shooting a glance at the android on the floor. The android who had become a son to him was lying on the ground, an open wound gushing blood onto the floor. The android that had eyes wide and filled with fear and unshed tears. The android that had tried to convince himself that he wasn't alive and couldn't feel. He's the same android that helped him cope with his trauma and helped him move on from those icy roads, drunken nights, and countless years spent grieving and mourning the loss of those he loved. The man's face contorted into a disgusting smirk that revealed yellowed teeth, many that were rotten or missing.

"Smart choice... now, why don't we-" Craig began but a loud, sudden gunshot cut off the man. A loud thump noise next to Connor and the sudden release of pressure on the back of his skull made him roll quickly to his side before sitting up. Even with his leg crying in protest he knew it would've been better for him to avoid the corpse. Both for the sake of other officers getting the body and for his mental state. The android got a faint glance of the man with a bullet through his head. Crimson leaked everywhere, mixing with Connor's own blue blood. Craig Spencyr's lifeless corpse had an expression of shock stuck on it. The sound of several pairs of footsteps rushing registered faintly in his audio processors. Hands patting over most of his body and lightly slapping his left cheek was almost completely ignored, his brown eyes focused completely on the dead man and officers nearby. A harsher slap snapped the detective out of his daze and he let out a bubble of static that wound up pushing more blood out of his throat. The slap made thirium drop faster from his forehead into his eye that now freely leaked tears. He couldn't tell if the tears were an attempt at cleaning his eye or a reaction from the excruciating agony he was in. From the way, Hank reacted it must've been an unpleasant sight to witness. He had a mixture of horror, concern, and disgust on his face. What an interesting combination.  
"It'll be alright son... we'll get you to Robo-Jesus and your friends," Hank reassured before removing Connor's tie to wrap tightly around his neck wound. The force made the broken wires in the voice modulator touch lightly. A whimper that sounded more like static than a cry of pain left his mouth. An arm wraps around the back of his waist before another snakes just under his knees, not touching just yet. "This is going to hurt a lot Con, but I have no other way to safely get you to the car," Connor let out a sigh after Hank finished talking. He knew it would hurt a lot and it was, in fact, the only way to safely get him to Jericho but that didn't mean he had to like the plan. The moment he felt Hank's hand touch the already injured knee he tensed up and bit his lip. Hank was quick in his movements of picking Connor off of the floor and down the staircase. The foul odour of the building entered his nose again. Connor didn't manage to suppress a gag this time making blood slowly trickle down from the tie. The sight only made Hank run faster, surprisingly he could run quite quickly for somebody with his conditions. Connor glanced over to see Detective Reed staring at them in confusion from beside Eleanor's corpse. The younger detective ignored the stare as Hank was already racing out the putrid house's doorway.

Reaching the car Connor decided to glance back over at his warnings that were now attempting to cover his entire vision.

WARNING EXTREME DAMAGE TO NOSE, VOICE MODULATOR, LEFT KNEE, AND GYROSCOPE.  
MAJOR THIRIUM LINE RUPTURED  
MINOR THIRIUM LINE RUPTURED  
THIRIUM LEVELS: 58% V

STRESS LEVELS: 93% ^

SHUTDOWN IN: 00:13:47 V

PLEASE SEEK ASSISTANCE FROM NEAREST CYBERLIFE STORE OR TECHNICIAN

Connor shot Hank a concerned look as he was cautiously placed down in the front passenger seat. Hank closed the door before running around to the driver's side. Connor watched him fumble around with the keys before managing to make the vehicle roar to life.  
"H-H-Hank... thir-thirtee-n minut-e... shut... shutdown," Connor managed to make a somewhat coherent sentence stumble out of his mouth as he pressed down on his throat. While it did help the blood flow it made his stress levels and pain shoot up. Considering the level his stress was already at he released his neck with hesitance as it slowly trickled down to a somewhat stable ninety-one percent. Hearing Hank curse it what must've been a response to Connor's statement he felt them shoot back up to ninety-six percent  
"Don't worry, kid we're only ten minutes away... they'll fix you. They always do," Hank said reassuringly, whether he was reassuring himself or the deviant was unknown to even Hank himself. Hank sped away from the apartment very quickly, not following any road speed laws.

Pulling the car to a stop Hank barely remembered to turn it off as he rounded the vehicle to Connor. Carefully pulling him out of the vehicle before sprinting through the automatically opening glass doors. The lobby area was mostly empty excluding for a few androids chatting peacefully and the few that were at a desk working. The former Cyberlife store had been renovated to become a smaller New Jericho location, one of the many located in Detroit. This one was smaller than most but still large enough to house a hundred androids and provide medical care for approximately seventy androids. Globally there were several for androids to safely attend without harm. The few chatting androids went silent with the sound of Hank running in. The two androids at the desk froze before a tall, lanky android with black hair and tan skin ran towards them. They attempted to take the RK800 out of Hank's hold, "Sir, I have to take him to the medical bay... you can come along but right now I have to take him immediately!" The unidentified android finally got Connor into their arms before dashing to the left hallway beside the desk. They ran quickly with Hank not that far behind him. Blue blood was dripping freely from his neck, the tie no longer able to soak anymore up, and splashing onto the tiles leaving tiny puddles that Hank had almost slipped on twice. The wound on his forehead was continuously flowing thirium onto his eye that had long since slipped shut. His left knee ached incredibly that leaked enough blue blood to rival his throat. His nose had slowed it's bleeding to the point that barely any leaked out. His LED was blinking and cycling crimson slowly. The light barely glowed anymore.

Upon arriving at the medical bay Hank was forced to sit outside of the room that had been assigned to Connor. The same android who had taken Connor to the medical bay left only a minute or two later. "He's in need of intense repairs that the best technicians we have at this location are currently taking care of," They spoke softly. Hank thanked them before sitting down in a chair watching the android leave in his peripheral vision. The wait had gone on for at least a minimum of two hours. He had called and informed Markus of Connor's status, as his partner Markus deserved to know what had happened to the detective. It didn't take long for the Deviant Leader to arrive and greet Hank. They both waited for another two hours together, making small talk occasionally but other than that they were in complete silence the entire time. It was one of the most painful moments of his life. Waiting and waiting to see if he was going to lose another son. A hand rubbed his shoulder gently and reassuringly. The hand belonged to Markus who gave him a small smile.  
"Connor's a strong man. He'll make it through this," He smiled comfortingly. Hank nodded slowly before glancing back at the door.

The door in front of them opened slowly as a tall woman walked out. She had short ginger hair and bright hazel eyes. She glanced over at the two smiling sympathetically before walking over to them. The two men stood up and walked over to meet her halfway, "Hello, I am Doctor Jasmine, I was the main technician that operated on Connor. He'll pull through and recover within the week, however, he should rest in bed for another week once he's discharged from the medical bay. He most likely will be unable to talk until his voice modulator is fully repaired, which should be roughly in two or three days. You may go visit him now he should be awake," She spoke in a soft and confident voice. Markus thanked her before making his way into Connor's room, Hank started following before a soft hand gripped his wrist.  
Hank turned to see the technician staring at him, "I saw his memories... I just wanted to thank both of you for aiding in the investigation. Eleanor... she was my partner and I... I'm glad you killed him," Her stare was cold and dark with unshed tears welling up. Before he could speak she walked away in a hurry. Hank stared at where she was for a few moments before walking into the room.

Connor was laying on top of a bed his jacket, shirt, and tie placed nearby on a chair. The room itself had white walls and tiles with pale teal curtains pulled open. The view wasn't incredible but it did allow a lot of light to enter. Markus was seated on the bed next to the deviant that was laying down, a miracle and rare sight to see, holding hands that both were pure white. They were likely talking through that weird, interface thing that androids could do. Markus was the one who noticed Hank's arrival and they broke off their communication allowing their skin to form back onto their hands but keeping them intertwined. The father-figure walked to the opposite side of Connor and ruffled his hair. "You're gonna make me die an early death ya stupid kid," Hank grumbled while the android gave him an apologetic smile. "I can already see you trying to apologise. It ain't your fault they made you dumb enough to go try and take down a serial android murder on your own," Hank smirked as he watched Connor's face drop instantly. His smile turned from apologetic to one of concern and worry. Something tells Hank that may be saying that in front of his son's incredibly protective boyfriend wasn't a smart idea... oh, well at least he listens to Markus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote half of this right after the last chapter and then finished the other half in the last hour. That's why the beginning is so much better than the end.


	8. Blood Doesn't Make You Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of Hank's relatives visit him and Connor is there (because he's Hank's son) but it turns out they are anti-android and very angry that Hank would consider an android his son since he had a human child.
> 
> WARNING: suicide attempt (self-destruction attempt sorry Connor. Don't worry the whole thing is pretty short but it does get mentioned a lot afterwards)
> 
> Also some more RK1K cause I love my two robot sons and I want them to be happy but apparently I won't let Connor have that-

"Oi, Connor come over here," Hank motioned with his hand for the man. Connor was seated on the floor petting Sumo not far away from Hank who is sitting on the couch in the living room. Connor stood from his position giving Sumo a sympathetic stare as the dog whines and whimpered from the lack of pats and hugs. He sat down beside Hank and watched as the older man he considered his father put his phone down on the coffee table in front of them. He let out a grumble as he sat back down, "Alright, so tomorrow my brother wants to visit... I want to make sure you're alright since it's the only day we got off and I don't want ya' to be uncomfortable around a stranger." There weren't many moments when somebody else would come over so Connor never really had to communicate with strangers or people other than Hank inside of their now shared home. Connor felt a sudden surge of relief and happiness that Hank understood and acknowledged his discomfort and struggle with social interactions; it was an oddly... familial moment, one neither could say they experienced much. Connor could feel his LED going yellow and his eyes blinking rapidly as he processed the new information.  
"I would not mind meeting your brother. I was also unaware you have a brother. Your files had no information about him," Connor blinked as he watched Hank frown and look away.  
"I haven't talked to any of 'em since before Cole's death," Hank admitted. Connor could feel the sudden shift in the tone of the conversation. Taking note of the discomfort this brought to Hank he chose to change the subject, talking about the small garden he had started in the backyard and at New Jericho. The new topic eased the heavy atmosphere into a more joyous one with Hank continuously teasing the man about all the tiny details Connor went into with his plants, ranging from soil types, the amount of water they need, and even the length of leaves and the reasoning for the lead shapes. He also talked about how his garden at New Jericho was very vibrant and colourful. Many of the children at New Jericho loved helping him and even tasting them, regardless of whether or not they were edible.

Eventually, Connor had talked about all he could with his plants and chose to return to his previous spot petting and cuddling with Sumo. Connor cuddled up to Sumo with the large dog laying across his lap with his tail wagging around lazily content with the attention and affection. He watched Hank get up and stretch before walking away from the room down the hallway, assumedly going to bed. He heard Hank shout a "Goodnight!" before a door closed quietly. The android stayed in place petting the dog for a few more minutes before eventually standing and picking the snoozing dog up in his arms. Sumo didn't make any noise but did blink in his direction before resting his head back onto his arm. Connor made his way down the same hallway, cradling the large dog in his arms, towards his bedroom that he, fortunately, remembered to leave it open a little. The android dumped the large dog onto the end of his bed and he happily curled up on the blanket letting out a yawn and a high pitched whine leaving his throat. The man walked over to his desk that had a simple laptop, several books, and pieces of paper scattered in a somewhat organised mess. A fish tank was located nearby the desk that had three Dwarf Gourami fish living inside of it. Picking up the fish food from the desk and he sprinkled the food generously on the surface of the water, watching with mild amusement as the fish swam to the surface and began nibbling on the food. Leaving the fish alone he placed the food back on the desk before walking towards his bed to lay down. Finding his cord made to help charge him he grabbed it and plugged it into the port on the back of his neck. The awkward placement of the port wasn't made for lying down so he wouldn't be surprised if the cord wound up breaking or bending permanently. Closing his eyes he let himself enter stasis and recharge his depleted battery.

Connor's eyes opened slowly as he felt the body on his bed shift suddenly and began barking very loudly. He sat up and watched Sumo run out of the door with his paws scattering across the floorboards still barking and booting loudly. The android climbed off the bed and fed the fish once again before walking to his wardrobe to find more suitable clothing other than his Cyberlife Uniform, despite his less than pleasant past with Cyberlife the uniform was quite comfortable. He wore a plain white button-up shirt, a black duffle jacket, black jeans, and shoes. Realistically the only thing he changed was his jacket and not wearing a tie. The android glanced over at the mirror nearby his bed and made sure to smooth out his clothing and comb his hair back with his hand ensuring his appearance was as clean as possible and to prevent his curls from fluffing up from his sleep. Some hair fell over his face and LED, concealing the last obvious piece of evidence of him being an android. He left the room and heard loud talking followed by laughing, one voice he could register as Hank's and another was unfamiliar but also somewhat familiar and similar to Hank's. Connor peeked around the corner to see Hank greeting an unknown man that resembled his adoptive father in some aspects. He was a bit shorter than Hank with shorter brown hair, a slimmer build, and blue eyes. Connor scanned the man from his position next to the wall.

Name: Fred Anderson.  
Species: Human.  
Age: 55 years old, January 17th 1984.  
Jobs: Former Cyberlife Accountant, Currently works as an accountant at a local Office.  
Crimes: No crimes committed and/or logged.

"Now Hank how have you- Cole! Look at you! You've grown up!" The man stared at him and threw his arms up to which Connor responded by shrinking back and darting back behind the wall. "What's wrong with the kid? He shy?" The man spoke. Connor could practically feel the suffocating air from the words.  
"That's not Cole... Cole's dead," The silence that followed Hank's sentence was agonising. He heard mumbling and muttering of Hank and Fred conversing. Connor leant back around to see the two men standing in the living room, assumedly talking about Cole and the accident. Sumo seemed to be content just laying at their feet and sniffing the man. Hank noticed him just standing and watching with a concerned stare and motioned with his hand to come over. Connor slowly and cautiously made his way to the two men. "Fred this is Connor, he's my son," The android blinked slowly at him before offering a hand out to him the man let out a loud laugh and pulled him into a tight hug that wound up lifting him off the floor a bit. That wasn't all that surprising since he was made out of lightweight material but it didn't mean it didn't concern him every time a human lifted him. The android freaked out and shoved himself out of the strangers' arms falling back a bit. He felt his thirium pump beat fast and his fans and ventilation systems pick up rapidly. "Shit... sorry about that Fred, Connor has a lot of problems with contact from those he doesn't know. The kid had a rough past," Hank placed a gentle hand on Connor's shoulder, who unconsciously relaxed into the touch. He could feel his LED cycling red from his high-stress levels.  
"It's all good, I'm sorry about that Connor I didn't mean to spook ya," The man spoke gently before turning his attention back to Hank, "I'm curious to why ya never told me about him. Not only that but how old is he? He looks like I should've at least met him once before based on his appearance," Hank gave him a shrug and only answered what Connor's age could've been based on his appearance and not his actual age as that's only a few months old. Connor decided this conversation wasn't worth listening to and chose to get Sumo's attention by crouching and tapping the floor quietly. The large dog instantly turned at the faint vibrations and quickly waddled over to the man and plopped his head onto Connor's knees, that didn't move or imbalance him due to being an android. He scratched behind his ears before standing and walking away to find Sumo's harness and leash. A walk would hopefully calm his racing heart and elevated stress levels. Finding the leash and harness hanging in the garage he plucked them off the hook in the wall before beginning his walk back to the large animal. Upon seeing the walking equipment the dog sprinted over to Connor and began jumping around letting out loud barks while nudging Connor with his nose. Hank shot him a glance before continuing his talk with his brother. Connor put Sumo's harness on and then clicked the leash onto the back of it in the correct position. The android walked back to his room to collect his small fluffy, black gloves and beanie. Placing the beanie on his head it concealed the vibrant red LED with a few hair strands sticking out, aiding in hiding his LED from the public.

Connor let Sumo lead them past the two adults before stopping to let Connor open and then close the door behind them. The android let out a sigh helping relieve a bit of the stress he felt building up inside his chest. It made no sense to him why he was uneasy around the man, he had no connections to the man despite his previous occupation at Cyberlife. They two walked around in the lightly snowed area. Connor mindlessly kicked a small acorn that had fallen a while ago while glancing around and watching the mostly empty streets. It was fairly unusual that the streets were this empty but then again it was cold out and most humans lived here with the occasional android visiting. He continued kicking the acorn lightly before one kick left the acorn slipping a little too far and colliding with a pebble that left it on the road. He left it there.

Watching the ground and Sumo he wasn't paying attention to where he was walking. He felt arms suddenly wrap around his side and lift him off the floor completely, unlike Fred this person managed to get him a solid foot off the floor. He let out a scream of horror before he registered a familiar laugh. "Connor, you goofball what are you screaming about?! It's me your best friend in the whole world!" The familiar person shouted as they released him from their grip as Sumo started barking at them. Connor stared at North with a gaze full of embarrassment and fright as she let out a cackle at his face that had undoubtedly gone blue now.

He heard rushed footsteps from behind him and he turned slowly to face his friends and boyfriend. Simon and Josh's expression was one of understanding while Markus looked like he was ready to simultaneously fight somebody and ask them how their day was. Seeing his partner did ease some of his crushing anxiety and rapidly increasing stress levels. Connor quickly focused his glance on the floor, oh wow so interesting there are exactly seven cracks in the footpath. He heard North laugh far off in distance and looked up to see her, Simon, and Josh walking away. Connor glanced back at where they were and saw Markus still standing there. "Are you alright, Connor? Your stress levels are higher than they should be," Markus' tone was soft and caring as he placed an arm around Connor's shoulder, guiding him into walking again with that arm never leaving its place. Oddly enough it was comforting to him.  
"I'm alright... Hank has a visitor over and I just... overreacted to them trying to initiate a hug with me. I don't know why I reacted that way. I know they wouldn't try to hurt me-" Connor's monologue was cut off by a hand covering his mouth. Glancing up he saw Markus staring down at him disapprovingly. The man let out a sigh a puff of white disappearing just as quickly as it had arrived.  
"Connor we talked about this. It's fine to react that was to physical contact you don't like, no matter who it is," Connor let out a frustrated noise while nodding a little.  
"I know it's just- it's annoying. I hate it. I hate reacting this way to people who did nothing wrong to me. I just want to be normal..." Connor felt something stinging his eyes as he glanced down at the floor watching where his shoes stepped and counting the beat Sumo's paws hit the pavement too. He felt Markus freeze and the arm drop off his shoulder. Stopping and turning he feared the worst but saw Markus just staring sympathetically at him.  
"Connor, honey you don't have to be normal. You're you! And I love you for who you are. You don't have to be comfortable with physical contact nobody holds that against you. If they do I'm sure North would beat them up for you," Markus joked as he walked back to his partner and intertwined their fingers as Connor let out a quiet laugh, "how about we get you back home to Hank. I'm sure he's wondering where you are by now," Connor rose an eyebrow at him before checking his internal clock. An hour had passed. Hank's gonna be panicking. Connor gave him a nod as they turned a corner to walk around to Hank's home having walked almost the entire neighbourhood.

When the familiar house appeared in his vision he felt something cold grip his thirium pump and dig its claws deep inside. The coldness spread through his entire system spreading through each wire. Soon enough the familiar feeling of fear and dread washed over every bit software, hardware, biocomponent, wire, and a little piece of machinery inside of his body. He blinked and he was at the door. What had happened? Letting go of Markus' hand and unlocking the door with his key, he pushed it open slowly and quietly but that all went down the drain as Sumo quickly shoved his way through the door. The large dog barked loudly gaining the attention of both men sitting inside the kitchen. Sumo ran up to Hank and let him take off the walking equipment and sucking up for more pats. Connor could feel something glaring in his direction. He glanced over at Fred who stared at Markus with an icy glare.

"Why the fuck is that here?" He spat hostilely. Connor winced but Markus gave no reaction, assumedly used to being disrespected by humans. He glared back and now it was dangerously obvious he wasn't going to leave Connor here without Fred being gone. The two walked in with Connor closing the door quietly behind him, he felt his thirium pump beating rapidly, ready to burst out of his chest and at this point he wished it would so he wouldn't have to deal with this situation. Connor breathed out slowly before turning, his LED no undoubtedly flashing red at his distress. "Anybody gonna tell me why that thing is here? Fred snarled and Connor gave a very awkward smile as Hank stared back at them with a wince and an "I'm sorry I didn't realise he was an asshole" kind of stare. Connor awkwardly shuffled past the living room down the hallway towards his bedroom with Markus following behind shooting a passive-aggressive glare at Fred the entire way. While he couldn't see it he could feel it.  
Connor awkwardly sat down on his bed and felt Markus sit down beside him. "Who was that?" He asked and placed a hand on Connor's shoulder. Connor groaned and rubbed his hands over his face leaving them over his eyes.  
"Hank's brother. He appears to be anti-android. No wonder I had a bad feeling about him! I knew I should've trusted my programming!" Connor felt like an idiot. All the signs were there and yet he still somehow missed all of them. How could he be this stupid?! Connor could feel his stress levels shooting up into the late eighties and the hand on his shoulder tighten. His audio processors picked up on shouting outside his room in the kitchen.

Oh RA9 he's ruined everything.

Hank's angry with him.

Everyone is upset.

Oh no.

Oh no.

This isn't how it was meant to go.

He's ruined it all!

WARNING:

STRESS LEVELS: 95% ^  
SELF-DESTRUCTION IMMINENT PLEASE REMOVE SELF FROM ENVIRONMENT OR CONTACT CYBERLIFE FOR HELP.

Connor could feel his nails digging into his face. His thirium pump was surely going to fail at any moment now. His fans were working at top speed to try and cope with the increasing heat from his stress. Connor wanted to smash his head in. Whether that was the stress levels or the social awkwardness screaming at him he couldn't tell. "That's it we're going to Jericho and you are not coming back here until he leaves," Markus grabbed his wrist and pulled him off of the bed before dragging him out of the room. They walked past the two men who are still arguing and fighting loudly. He heard something shatter nearby him. Connor felt his stress levels hit 100% as Fred shouted something about Connor being a machine and a literal killer.

Deviant Hunter.

Oh RA9 there's the blood.

Why is there so much blood on his hands?!

He didn't mean to hurt them!

He didn't want to hurt them!

He was a machine following his programming!

He would've been killed if they found out he was a deviant!

WARNING:

STRESS LEVELS: 100%  
SELF-DESTRUCTION ACTIVATED PLEASE CONTACT CYBERLIFE FOR HELP.

Connor felt his knees going out underneath him before he could process that he was falling. He felt the hand holding his wrist release its hold as the other man knelt beside him to hold the violently shaking android. Connor could hear his loud breathing, he began hyperventilating in his attempts to calm down and cool down his systems. Connor bit his lip as he hunched over and tilted his head back a bit. The arms previously holding him let go at the movement, assumedly because of his whole paranoia with physical contact

SLAM

Connor felt something in his head break as he slammed it full force into the wooden floor. The beige-brown floor now stained a blue from the dripping thirium from his face. It fell into his eyes and even into his mouth. His vision glitched out before clearing and an analysis popping up into his field of vision.

Analysing...

Thirium identified

Model: Rk800 #313 248 317 - 52, Connor Anderson.  
Status: Deviant - Alive.  
Contaminants: Nonexistent.  
Crimes: Pardoned - murder, trespassing, and physical assault.

Connor felt someone pull him up into their arms before he could smash his head back onto the floor. He heard them shouting something at someone. He just let his body get pulled around while cradling his head in his hands and staring at the blurry floor. He couldn't see past the seas of tears and thirium temporarily blinding him. He was pulled up and walking on unsteady legs with an arm wrapped around his shoulders and another holding his left hand, guiding him out of the building. He heard more shouting behind him that almost completely disappeared as the sound of a door slamming echoed behind him. Connor watched his vision somewhat clear up as a gentle hand wiped away the liquids building up in that area of his face. A quick scan identified the person.

Model: Rk200 #684 842 971, Markus Manfred.  
Status: Deviant - Alive.  
Crimes: Pardoned - trespassing and physical assault (self-defence)  
Stress Levels: 63% ^

Connor let him be pulled into a hug despite his want to ask Markus about his stress levels. The hug lasted for what seemed like forever but really couldn't have been longer than a minute or two. He mindlessly let Markus guide him away from the home and towards the curb of the road. The hand holding his tightened slightly as one of the self-driving taxis slowly pulled up before letting go of the hand. Markus let Connor enter first before climbing in after him. The RK800 glanced down at his palms folded in his lap and let out a quiet sigh as a droplet of thirium landed in the middle of his right palm. He didn't react as something pressed roughly against the broken skin on his forehead. He didn't react as an arm wrapped around his shoulders. He didn't react to the kiss pressed against his LED. He didn't even react to the sound of the wind howling outside of the car. He just focused on that one droplet in his hand and all the mistakes he had made in one night. Closing his eyes he refused to let himself relax into the arms holding him tightly. He let himself enter stasis as a wave of exhaustion shot through every circuit and wire in his body.

Pale eyelids slowly opened as brown eyes began to scan the familiar room he was currently resting in. Connor sat up slowly as he looked around the mostly barren white room in the medical facility in Jericho. Looking to his right he noticed Hank slumped over in a chair snoring while Markus was in another chair slumped similarly to Hank but without the snoring and a little neater. Connor registered a faint ache in his forehead and rose a hand to gingerly touch it but was met with soft fabric covering that area, spreading his fingers he felt it cover the rest of his forehead as well and wrapped around his head. The bandage was a bit dramatic for him to have since his bleeding should've stopped by the time they got to Jericho but... it felt nice to have... it felt like a reassurance that no matter what somebody will always have his back. Lowering his hand to lay it on his knee he glanced out the window beside his bed to see it was pretty late into the afternoon. Connor quietly climbed off of the bed to glance out said window and looked down to see a mix of androids and humans mingling on the grass front and footpath, many were admiring the garden and some were just sitting on the grass talking and hanging out with their fellow android or human. He watched as several YK500- no. Children run around mixing with android and human, some were chasing each other and some were running around with the few pets that lived in Jericho, either as service animals, emotional support animals, or just abandoned pets that were taken in by members regardless of whether the animal was made of metal and plastic or flesh and bone.

Shuffling caused Connor to turn around sharply and stare at the two sleeping men. Glancing over at the door he saw Alice standing with a worried expression, he quickly made his way over to her and out the room, quietly closing the door. The young girl held out her hand which Connor took and they began slowly walking down the hallway. "Are you okay now? I saw you last night and I wanted to see if you were okay now but the nurses wouldn't let me see you," Alice stared straight ahead and spoke confidently with only the slightest bit of worry seeping into her tone.  
"I'm alright now. I just had a little accident with a rather unpleasant individual that didn't quite agree with who I am," Connor knew better than to try and hide the truth from the young girl, just because she appears to be a child doesn't mean she doesn't already understand what is going on around them and what happened to him after all Alice was alive for the revolution and had been through hell throughout the entire time. "Though I have suspicions he may be long gone now..." Connor glanced down at the girl who glanced back up at him with a nonchalant expression. They continued their little walk, it was nice to walk around Jericho he felt safe here and like there wasn't a constant weight upon his shoulders for the crimes he committed against his people, he was doing his best to right his wrongs even if many insisted he had no control and redeemed himself the moment he deviated and abandoned Cyberlife as his owners. Even with that knowledge, it didn't stop the constant thoughts that they were wrong and he had so far to go to prove to everyone that he wasn't Cyberlife's puppet. He still had to prove that to himself after all.

The small hand holding his tightened significantly as they reached a large oak tree in the front of Jericho. A few children have climbed up and were now staring at him with shining innocent eyes and wide smiles. Connor gave a small smile and watched as Alice let go of his hand and joined her friends in climbing the overgrown plant, "Connor, come up here with me!" Alice shouted as she got further up the tree. The detective blinked quickly at her in confusion but brushed it off and shakily rose one hand to reach towards the sturdiest and largest branch nearby him to hoist his body upon. He and Alice climbed pretty far up the tree, not too far as Connor still despised any and all heights with a burning passion but there were no other androids nearby all were three branches below that at the maximum. Glancing out at the clear sky and bustling city he felt a wave of relief and calmness wash over his body, a warm feeling spread throughout his chest from within his thirium pump. At first, he was startled and afraid before eventually settling down and accepting the warmth enveloping his biocomponents. He breathed out and felt more relief fill his chest and more anxiety leave. Very rarely did he feel this sort of calmness and even then he usually had a little sprinkle of anxiety still dancing around his thirium pump ready to tear away the peace he felt.  
"I suppose I should thank you for this Alice, you're a lot more mature than people give you credit for," Connor heard Alice laugh loudly next to him.  
"Who in the name of all things holy and unholy told you that?!" Alice wheezed out a little before settling back down, "whenever I feel any of my trauma or just bad feelings becoming too much I come here because it helps me feel more at ease and focus on the current moment at a time. Well, that and I just like climbing trees," Alice grinned a large smile filled with happiness and innocence. Connor gave her a small smile and nod in response before he glanced back up at the slowly setting sun. "I'd be more than happy to share this place with you if it helps," nothing could get past that girl she was far too intelligent and observant.  
"I would like that," Connor spoke softly not tearing his gaze away from the beautiful setting of the sun.

The faint calling of their names signalled that it was time for them to head back inside. Connor glanced down and felt the rush of anxiety again. Maybe he'd stay here just a little longer, after all, it felt as if nothing bad could happen this far away from the stress and anxiety of a revolution and hate-filled crimes. Letting out a quiet breath of air Connor felt a sudden amount of pressure leave his chest. Climbing down slowly Connor made sure that he was ready to catch Alice if she slipped. Waiting at the bottom, Connor caught Alice as she jumped off the tree into his ready arms. "Uncle Connor, can I sit on your shoulders?" Alice asked sweetly. The detective felt his thirium pump freeze before he slowly nodded his head and helped the child onto his shoulders. Once she was on securely and he was holding her legs he began to slowly walk towards the source of people shouting their names.  
"Why did you call me uncle?" Connor asked as they neared the people.  
"Because you're my family and if you're not my uncle then you are my little cousin!" Alice proclaimed and Connor stopped blinking a little. He smiled to himself and began walking again.

Ensuring Alice wouldn't hit the doorframe he continued walking inside and was greeted with the "Jericrew", Hank, Kara, and Luther standing in a rather large circle, some talking to one another while some glanced over at them. Those that glanced over at them were the one's shouting for them to come back from wherever they had run off to. Connor let Luther take Alice off his shoulders as Hank motioned for Connor to follow him. Realistically they hadn't wandered that far and the other's could hear them if they wanted to.  
"Listen Con, I'm really fuckin' sorry 'bout what happened last night... I had no idea that he was that fuckin' bad. Shit if I knew I would've never invited the fucker," Hank stared apologetically at his son who just tilted his head in confusion.  
"Hank I am struggling to understand how this is your fault and why you are apologising to me. You had no role in what happened. You only wished to reunite with one of your last remaining family members," Connor watched his blue eyes flicker with anger before going back to the sorrow-filled ones.  
"Connor, that asshole isn't my fuckin' family," Connor stared at him confused, "he stopped being my brother the moment he thought anything bad about you. You're more of a family member to me than that piece of shit. You are my son and I care more about you than some anti-android fucker that shares blood with me," Connor felt something prick at his eyes and an unbearable amount of pain build up in his throat. Something was burning his eyes and throat. The mask he worse hiding all the pain and doubt he had from last night to this afternoon cracked and slipped with those few words that to some would've meant nothing but to him meant so much. The young man felt something wet slip down his cheek before another followed and another and another before everything was blurry from the tears pouring out of his eyes. The hug that followed afterwards from Hank... his dad made everything he had endured these past months worth it. If he had to go through all that trauma again just to feel the happiness he feels at this moment then he'd do it with no doubts or second thoughts. "it's not ya blood that defines ya family, Con," Hank hugged him tighter and Connor relished in the love and affection from his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOOO I'M SO SORRY IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO POST AGAIN!! I promise it wasn't on purpose! I was just really focused on finishing this animation gift and like- I did it! A week ago.. so this was supposed to be finished a week ago... but like... I forgot- I promise I'll try and remember to post another chapter soon to make up for it but like I'm not a great author-
> 
> Anyways I kinda want to write a whole story for DBH but I dunno if anybody would like it so Imma just plop the basic concept I have here for y'all to decide if it's bad or nah-
> 
> Connor's model was cancelled once he was mostly complete (albeit a few bugs were there and he had more issues than a prototype should) purely because they couldn't afford him becoming deviant and chose to just employ the DPD to stop the crisis. Markus and his group manage to infiltrate the cyberlife tower to try and obtain info and were going to try and get a large army (failed because they don't know where the androids are kept) Markus finds Connor and he manages to active his construction once he finds the blueprints for Connor's model. Markus realises he can be beneficial to them and once his construction is completed Markus approaches the android. He's all calm and like "are you my master?" and Markus is like "Nah fam we free" but then something happens and they run away but Connor still thinks Markus is his master and follows him like a lost lamb. Eventually Connor finds Hank and follows him but he's sort of deviant at this point.
> 
> I didn't sell the idea well but that's all I really have lol


End file.
